Computer woes...

I've been somewhat absent from blogging the past few days...
sorry
but
life has been busy
and
a little hectic.

I've been getting
to know
a new hard drive.

My computer died.
A relatively new computer in my mind...
just 4 years old.

The mother board
went out on it.
Mother board,
sounds pretty important
doesn't it???

This is the computer
that I do
all my
cross stitch charting on,
graphics work,
pattern layout
and
blog postings.

Yep, that computer!
Dell & I
were basically joined at the hips,
if you know what I mean.

So 800 some bucks later
and
5 hours of data file transferring,
I'm back up and running,
locating files
and
getting familiar with this Windows 7
operating system...

and thinking of the many other many things I would have
rather spent this 800+ bucks on...
like new ditties for the house, new shoes, new winter sweaters,
etc,
etc,
and
maybe even
some linen and floss...
{sigh}

Everything looks different,
even just old Microsoft Word
has a new look...

Let me stress,
that this whole process
was not done without
sprouting a few new gray hairs
and
there may have even
been a few curse words
flailing from my mouth...

I'm not good with change.
never.have.been.

So after a few stressful long days
of this stuff,

I treated myself
to some quiet time stitching time
last evening...
Time for some therapy.

The January's Word Play
is now in it's very early stages folks!

You just never know
what may inspire the next cross stitch chart...
A bundle of rose hips?
I brought back a bunch of wild rose hips
when visiting our son
in Denver...

I love rose hips.
Not the scented ones,
the ones still on their stems
and
still out
in the elements.

Anyone else?

I actually find them just as
beautiful as the rose...
only thing missing is their
lovely scent.

I especially love
finding them in the winter time,
blanketed
in drifts of snow...
cold,
but still hanging on.

Mother natures gentle reminder
that for everything
there is a
time
and
a
season.

Hoping for a smoother week,
Brenda

NEW Christmas Patterns have arrived!

DECEMBER WORD PLAY

First off is December's Word Play! If you haven't joined in on this monthly series,
don't fret, it's not too late! All twelve of these will be worked on the 35 count Abecedarian linen, this linen is just now back in stock. Floss paks, vintage seam tape trim and rusty bells are also available! Watch for January's Word Play to release on the 1st of December...let the stitching fun continue!!

X X X X X

BOUGHS OF HOLLY

The BOUGHS OF HOLLY pillow is worked on the Fine Ariosa (22 count) over two threads...11 count! The bigness of the cross stitches on this loosely woven cloth is a mix to die for. The cloth is first distressed before you begin and it totally changes the texture and feel to this cloth that has a Rayon fiber content. We sell this cloth in 18" squares, you will need to purchase 2 squares if you choose to back the pillow in the same cloth. We have 4 bolts of this cloth in stock...as you know cross stitch cloth can be a hot commodity at times...feelin' pretty good about that!! Floss pak for this pattern is also available.

X X X X X

RUDOLPH

Rudolph is first punched, then sewn and stuffed into a fun tree ornament! Rudolph is sporting St Nick on a snowy Christmas Eve on his belly. A tiny red bell gets sewn on for his nose and twiggy antlers and legs adds extra texture and detail. A quick stitch!

X X X X X

YULETIDE STOCKING

A simple star-clad angel, holly vine and winter snow bird adorn this Christmas stocking. Woolly penny tongues and antique mother of pearl buttons finish this piece off nicely. Dried Sweet Annie and vintage candy-cane pipe cleaners are carefully tucked into the stocking. This will look so sweet hanging from a cupboard door knob.

X X X X X

TREE FARM

You may recall the Wool Farm and Pumpkin Hill patterns released this fall...due to their popularity, we decided we needed a tree farm...a Christmas Tree Farm! And just in time for the holiday season, too! This cupboard hanger features Rudolph & Santa out on a snow December eve picking the perfect tree. Can't you just hear the snow crunching and smell the smell of fresh pine? Rusty jingle bells are stitched to the bottom of the piece for added holiday charm.

X X X X X

And lastly,
the floss keeps have been posted! I thought they needed their own special category, you can view them under the FLOSS KEEP category tab on our website. You can take a peek at what is left...these were selling faster then I could mark them sold out...there were some early bird shoppers keeping watch as they were being posted!! I will be making more of these, when more frames arrive, and as time allows. No advance orders will being taken for these.

For more information on these new goodies,
visit us online
at
www.countrystitchesonline.com...


Have a good day,
Brenda

Mary, Mary & Mary...

FLOSS KEEPS
coming soon!

Choose from 9 different designs,
available November 1st. These will be offered in a very limited supply,
made by myself,
as time permits...
a Country Stitches online exclusive.

The 3 floss keeps shown
are color prints
of snippets
from samplers
from
my personal collection.
I have 5 Mary samplers,
2 being stitched by the same Mary!

Mary Murgatroyd 1842Floss Keep

This sampler happens to be my personal favorite. I'm lucky to own two samplers stitched by this Mary and they compliment each other beautifully. Both are stitched with lots of reds and faded robin egg blues. Both samplers are dated 1842. The age of Mary is unknown, but by the stitching/spelling errors, it is safe to assume the stitching was done by a young hand.

X X X X X

Mary Ann Moore 1833 Floss Keep

Lovely verse sampler, beautifully stitched on about a 45, maybe even a 50 count linen...need to get my magnifier out and count! The verse is worked over 1, with the motifs worked over 2. Lovely shades of mellow yellows, mossy greens, drab browns and pink flosses are used in this piece. Sampler was completed in 1833 by 11 year old Mary Ann Moore. In looking at the stitching on this piece, you get the feel that this Mary was a perfectionist at the early age of 11...her stitching is nothing less of perfect!

X X X X X

Mary Wrigley 1834 Floss Keep

This sampler was the beginning of my antique sampler collecting days. It was purchased from an antique dealer here in Iowa. The sampler was completed on April 13, 1834 by Mary Wrigley of Clearfield, PA. A full family history accompanies this sampler...this is always considered an added bonus...

X X X X X

Have a good week,
Brenda

Trick or Treat!!

Click arrow to play! Agassi's human mom here... Agassi has finally made his furry little mind up... yep, the decision has been made and PUL-LEASE, don't tell him witch's are of the female gender {sigh} And no this human mom hasn't been knitting cat costumes... LOL If you only could see me with a pair of knitting needles, you would think differently! These sweet little hats were purchased from the very talented skooterknits. Happy Halloween, Agassi & Brenda

Linen is here!!

The Confederate Grey 40 count linen arrived
and
I'm doing the happy dance!!!!!

Tis been a long wait,
and you are all
itchin'
to
start stitchin'
the
Stitcher's Purse pattern,
right?

It's quite a sickening feeling,
believe me,
when you release
a new chart
only to find
you can't get your hands
on the linen
to support the chart.

It can be quite tricky
to have everything
come together
at the same time...


We thank you all for your patience!

The linen is beautiful
and
I'd like to say,
it's worth the wait!

We started shipping all back orders
of this linen
yesterday
and
should have every ones
filled
and on its way
to them
by days end.

We're hopeful
that the 30 count Parchment linen
will follow
very soon like
for those of you
that are waiting for it.
We have another shipment
of the
35 count Abecedarian linen
due to arrive
any day as well.

And more news...
New stitching goodies are now posted on our website
NEW buttons
NEW scissors
NEW needle minders
NEW patterns
with more
NEW goodies arriving weekly!

And lastly,
a shout out to those of you who are stitching our monthly
Word Play series...
the December pattern releases on November 1st
along with some other NEW arrivals!

With thy Needle & Thread,
Brenda

Is it me...

or am
I just getting
hot
in this
pumpkin hat????

Hot,
as in
physically hot...

So the consensus is,
from all you
human and feline readers,
that I rock in this hat!

Why even one of my feline readers
thought that the pumpkin
stem enhances my male
qualities,
if you know what
I mean...
{ah-hem}

Maybe
I'm just blushing...
do cat's blush???

* * * * * * *

Agassi's human mom here...
boy let me tell you,
I have one cat with
a big ego!

He's still a bit indecisive as to what
his costume should be though...
Rumor has it he's
found something different
to wear...

geesh,
I've raised a cat that can't
decide what to wear...

He must have learned
that from his human dad.

Have a good day!

Where is the cam-corder when you need it???

Boy you missed
quite the scene folks!

You should have seen myself,
being chased through the backyards,
of our neighborhood,
by my human mom,
with her camera
flopping around her neck.

Chasing me,
in this hat,
I must add...

She was laughing
so hard
she almost had
tears rolling
down her legs...

If only I could have caught that on video...
It was "Funniest Home Video" material,
believe me!

She was running,
yelling at me
to stop,
and
I just kept
a runnin'
with my little punkin' stem
just
a floppin'...
Do you have a visual yet????


Sorry,
got a little side tracked there,
and
I'm just catching my breath from
that chase
{sigh}

But I need your help...
it's the costume thing again.

I'm not quite sold on the dinosaur look.
It makes me look old...

like ancient,
or maybe even extinct...
if you know
what I mean.

I think I need a costume
a little bit more
age appropriate...

Any ideas?

Maybe I should just be a pumpkin
for Halloween...
what do you think?

Seems appropriate,
right?
I've always thought I looked
good in orange.
I'm just a little nervous though...
I just hope
the female felines
in my neighborhood
like it...

And,
if any of the guys
in the neighborhood
dare
call me
a punkin-head,
well,
this is what I'll do...

stick my tongue
out at them
and
no treats
for them!

Hoping your day was purr-fect,
Agassi

If you were me...

what would you be for Halloween?

A dinosaur?

A purple dinosaur
with lime green
osteoderms?

Yea,
I know,
that's a big word
for a cat...
my human mom
helped me with that...

What do you think?
Do you like?
It doesn't make my head look too big,
or anything,
does it?

It seems to fit okay,
I think my ears
are right where
they're
supposed to be...

Is the color okay
on me?

Any advise would be appreciated,
Agassi

Diagnosis...

SADD
(stitcher's attention deficit disorder)


One morning I'll pick this up
and
put a few stitches in it...
the next morning
I may be feeling a little punchy,
so I pick this up
and
punch a few stitches
before heading to work...

and then
some evenings
to unwind
before I turn in
for the evening
I may stitch
a couple letters
of the alphabet
on this piece...

I heard that the best medicine for SADD
is to just start
another
fun
new project...
This is what makes
us with SADD,
HAPPY!

One can never
have too many
things
going at once!
Right?

You are all with me on
this, right???

With thy Needle & Thread,
Brenda

I think of him

and laugh!

To be more specific,
I think of him
in this episode
and I laugh.

I've been living the part
where it just keeps coming & coming...

You may remember
I took a few days off,
a vacation if you will...

But when you operate
a business
on the world wide web,
you are
really
never
closed.
You are
never
really
on vacation...

You may be gone,
but
the orders keep
coming
&
coming
and they begin
to pile up
while you are away...

Note to self,
do not ever let husband
and
son plan a vacation
leading up to the release of new patterns.

So long story short,
I am still paying for taking a few days off.
I am digging out from the bottom of the
clip-board full of orders
and
should be caught up
by weeks end.
THANKS FOR YOUR PATRONAGE & PATIENCE.
IT'S GREATLY APPRECIATED!
AMEN.

Off to work I go,
Brenda

Calling all eagle-cam lovers...

The new cameras/microphone, etc
have been installed
and the Decorah, IA eagle cam is rolling folks!

I've been enjoying my morning cup of coffee watching Mother eagle (I think)
perched upon the famous branch with the famous white barn in the background. She is just taking in the morning sun on the beautiful Iowa autumn morning.

The parents have already begun to ready their nest for their next set of young. Dad has started his construction process,
&
you guessed it,
putting branches where Mom doesn't want them!

Here is the link if you want to take a peek
or even,
perhaps
spend the whole weekend watching eagles.
Like we've never done that before,
right??!!!

The above photo is D1,
or the first hatched, from the past years nest....so beautiful!
The eagle is banded with transmitters and
this photo was shot near Yellow Lake, WI.

And here's a fun YouTube link to some of the nest
re-constructing going on!

Enjoy the eagles,
Brenda

Did you know?

We are just coming off of
National Get Organized Week?

What did you do
to get organized?

Didn't know
it was
National Get Organized Week?

Me neither,
until something
came across my desk...

I read it,
I laughed,
and
thought to myself,
where would
I begin???

I prefer to call my desk,
my fabric stash,
my floss stash,
my work room,
etc,
etc,
etc,
creative clutter
not
something of the result
of not being organized...


But in trying
to do my little part
with getting organized
I came up
with these...
FLOSS KEEPS
I'm using it
and
I'm loving it so much
that I think
we need to sell them...

Watch for
FLOSS RINGS,
coming soon!

They will feature the tiny frames
with a snippet of motifs
from antique samplers
in my collection,
on a ring,
with
a tiny scissor stork
or other fun little stitching-themed charm
&
tiny little bead to finish it off.
They keep your flosses that you
are using
in one safe
&
secure spot.
Or you could say,
organized!

I now
can declare
myself organized...
Wooohooo!!!!!

Have a good one,
Brenda

Perfect weekend weather...

for shorts
&
flip-flops
&
company!

Grandpa & I
received a surprise phone-call
saying Beckham & Momma
were coming home to our house
for a long-weekend visit.
Daddy's been out of country
on business for the 2nd week
in 3 weeks
and the evenings
are starting to get long
&
Momma needs a break...
Perfect,
if you're the
Grandma & Grandpa!

The weather was absolutely beautiful for company...

Perfect for being outside
&
doing side-walk art.

Beckham requested
that I draw him a duck,
so I did.
Then it needed "wadda",
"pink wadda",
so,
pink water it is!
Then he wanted fish,
"pink fish"!
So,
pink fish it is!
(i think my duck has scoliosis, what do u think?!!)

And then it was Momma's turn, she draws Thomas the Train,
of course...

While outside
Beckham spotted
one of the several neighborhood "kitties",
(only he pronounces it with a "t" instead of a "k")
sleeping in our bushes.
With some coercing,
the kitty
comes out to play.

Let's just say,
that Beckham
is more interested in the kitty,
then the kitty in he...
She would rather just roll in the leaves,
then be played with.

We then moved to the back yard and spotted this kitty...
you may remember this kitty
from this previous post.
If not,
well,
this is kitty that just showed up one day.
A stray,
that's not too sure of people,
but
thinks our yard
is his home...

Beckham finds this kitty,
the kitty runs away.
Momma explains to the little one
that
he's wild
&
"scared of us"...

So,
we put out food for the "kitty"
(shh....don't tell Grandpa),
some "kitty food" (once again the k is a t...so cute!)
Look who's back in the yard...

I'm just amazed that the stray allowed the little one to get this close...
tis a first!

The kitty decides
that people
might be okay.
Little people,
that is.
We just watched and listened,
(in total amazement
I must add)
as the little one gently stroked the kittie's fur
&
talked to the kitty.

Beckham tells the kitty,
"don't be scared, you're otay"...

And then tells his momma,
"he's a nice kitty"

CUTEST. GRANDMA. MOMENT. EVER...

It gave me goosebumps and a lump in my throat...
I've struggled with this cat-issue all summer long.
We have a house cat,
( a very loved one, I must add...a spoiled one)
and
I don't need another.

I've been battling that need/want issue...

He is an un-neutered male
that isn't used
to being a house cat.
He isn't even too sure of people...
He probably
wouldn't even want
to be
a house cat...

My concern
is the
cold/snowy Iowa winter
that is just around the corner...

If only I had a warm barn in my backyard,
with hay in it's haymow for this kitty
for the upcoming winter months...

But,
I don't.

X X X X X

While playing with the kitties,
Beckham noticed the "pretty waterfowl"
down the street
from Grandma & Grandpa's house.
Any body of water
is a pretty water fall!
So,
we went to the "waterfowl"
and walked the beach...

&
Grandpa and Beckham
looked for flat rocks to skip on the water...

And as you may have guessed,
this was a hit with the little one!

Little boys

&
throwing rocks,
they just seem to go together!
He would have been happy
to spend
the whole day
doing
just this...
throwing rocks!

Have a good day,
Brenda

You know, it just occurred to me...

early this morn,
as I was putting
some stitches into this piece...

that it's October
and
the only
Halloween decorations
I have out
is her...

(a pumpkin-head doll
that I designed this summer
and never quite got around
to putting her into a pattern)
&
these...

a few pumpkins on a table that I've used in recent photo shoots.
That's it!
And I think I'm okay with it...

I then couldn't help but wonder if life is getting busier
or
if I'm just getting slower.
I turned the half-century a couple of weeks ago,
maybe it's just the big "five o" thing...

The cross stitch piece above
is something I've wanted to do for sometime.
The piece is worked
on a coarse 22 count linen over 2 threads...
11 count!
It is reminding me
of those aprons our grandma's wore
that were made out of gingham check
that had big cross stitched designs across the bottom...
I'm liking
the "bigness"
of the piece.
I'm thinking of a finish,
in a big,
Christmas-time pillow,
perhaps stuffed with rags
for a heavy,
lumpy feel...
perfect for placing on a rocker
on the front porch
along with some fresh pine greenery.

Hoping to have a pattern for this piece sometime soon,
but then again
maybe it will be next year!

Have a good day
&
enjoy these beautiful autumn days,
Brenda

New Patterns & Books...

are here!

The 2nd in a series of 12 monthly charts, November Word Play.
Stitch count - 127 wide X 72 high
Worked on 35 count over 1 and 2 threads.

Stitch count - 134 wide X 155 high
Worked on 35 count over 2 threads

Stitch count 190 wide X 197 high
Worked on 30 count over 2 threads
Watch for the Spring Sampler of the Season
to release
on the first day
of Winter...
think airing the quilts!

X X X X X

And some new book arrivals...

Another great project book from Maggie Bonanomi
that is filled
with wool applique,
pinkeeps, embroidery,
quilting
&
more!

Good reading
and
good recipes
can be found between the covers of the
"Where Women Cook CELEBRATE!" book.
Hardcover -175 pages.

A book published
by the
Country Living Magazine
featuring 125 festive ideas
for celebrating Christmas.

Tis the Season - Christmas Eve with James Cramer.
A wonderful hard cover 75 page book
filled with
holiday decorating ideas,
recipe for wonderfully prim gingerbread men,
instructions for making a cotton batting make-do Christmas tree
and cotton batting angel
and more...
Book is in stock!

"Simple Cooking for a Simple Life"
is a hard-cover 127 page recipe book.
The recipes are a collection of
simple,
delicious recipes from antique dealers
and
collectors.
The photos in this recipe book
are stunning.
If you like antiques
and
early style decorating,
this book is a must have!
Limited supply on this book.

X X X X X

And there are more new goodies...
9 new quilt patterns from Cheri Payne,
NEW chart from Stacy Nash
&
the real acorns have arrived (limited supply) !

All the new goodies
are in stock,
and
are now posted
on our website
for viewing & purchasing.

Have a good day,
Brenda