Weekly Stitching, Hearts and Flowers

 A lot of hot and humid weather here this week. A good time to stay inside and stitch.

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These last two are a little boring by comparison, but I wanted to use the variegated  Perle cotton that I got in my last order. The colors changes are so far apart that they don't work with flowers. I like the Superior Rainbow threads that changes color every inch, but they are for machine sewing, not hand embroidery. I may try to figure out a flower ring where I can use the Perle variegated. 

I am linking up with Off the Wall Friday.

Weekly Stitching and More Cards

 I did manage to get five floral wreaths done and a lot of cards.

I had this set of stamps and dies delivered from Stampin' Up a couple of months ago and for some reason I was not inspired to use it, even tho I thought it was a great set. So this week I set a couple of days aside for card making and I made a lot. I'm only showing some here. For some reason I had trouble with lighting. They show up in much duller colors then they really are. I tried adding extra light and then I was in my shadow. Suffice it to say that they really are very cute and colorful in person.

This fish die does not cut the fish all the way out and it can be used this way with a color behind it as I did here. Each card also had a coordinating envelope, front and back

This one uses a watercolor paper on which I had used a smooshing technique with Distress Inks. The coral and the small fish are dies and the bigger fish was stamped and fussy cut. Bubbles and grasses are stamped.

I always stamp the inside to coordinate with the front. Sometimes I stamp a sentiment, sometime not.

Here I cut out that goldfish on paper that I had used Distress inks to get an ombre effect. The paper was put thru the embosser with a wave pattern. Again much brighter in person.

The seahorse is also a die and again I used paper that I had distressed.

I popped up the little die cut fish with dimensionals.

Remember that you can always click on each picture to get a bigger view.

So with all the Origami cards I made last week and now my Seascape cards this week, I am all set for birthday and get well cards for awhile.

I'm linking up with Off the Wall Friday. Hop on over and see what some very creative people are doing.

Weekly Stitching and Cards

 I am continuing with floral wreaths and enjoying using some of my new DMC Perle Cotton colors.

I made six more of these cute little origami dress cards. I made them all into birthday cards.

I also made some cards for a charity, called Cards for Kindness, that is collecting handmade cards. They asked that they be in  multitudes of 10.  Two blurbs from the website below.

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It was suggested that you not put any sentiment inside, but I had to decorate it anyway.

I did not do my usual layering of papers, embossing or embellishments. I used a stamp set that has built-in shading and did them all the same assembly line style. I seldom repeat a design but assembly line was the way to go here.

If you care to participate, here is the link.

I am linking up with Off the Wall Friday.

Weekly Stitching and Hydrangea

 I did get six squares finished this week, all little floral wreaths. Simple stitching, but pretty designs. When I started this project I was restricting myself to certain color threads that I thought would look good on the dyed fabric. No purples, oranges, pink. etc. But recently I decided that any color thread will work because it is the fabric that ties everything together. I ordered some new colors from DMC and they came in two days. I was surprised because they are in Canada and it usually takes at least a week, but apparently they have a warehouse in New Jersey because that's where these come. Free shipping for orders over $30 (easy to do).

I also decided that, as much as I enjoy making these, I am going to slow down and only do what I can while watching nightly TV. I have mostly abandoned my other hobbies/crafts. You know that I like to make greeting cards and I haven't made any in weeks. You may recall the cute little origami dresses I made awhile back. Well all but one of those are gone. I like to send birthday cards, get well, thinking of you, sympathy, etc. Since I got into card making, I only send my handmade. I am definitely carving out some time for that this week.

I make my own Christmas cards, too (crazy, I know) and last year I sent 50 and started making them in August.  I have not started yet this year. 

And then I have a quilt to free-motion quilt for a friend and I have to get ready for an exhibit in September. It is a group show and I only have to do one, but I am usually farther along by now.

It has been a  very good year for Hydrangeas here it CT. It has to do with the winter conditions, but I'm not sure what they are. There are Hydrangeas everywhere in all the pretty colors they come in. I only have one bush. It starts out as purple and white, as in the picture below and then turns a rich solid purple.

I never had any luck keeping them in the house as cut flowers, but I went online and found out what to do. Pick your flowers early in the morning or late in the evening. Strip them of all leaves and make a cut up the stem so that it can absorb more water. Put them in lukewarm water. These on my kitchen table, looking so good on that lavender and yellow Damask tablecloth I purchased in Provence several years ago, were picked over a week ago. I have changed the water once. They drink a lot of water in the garden and in the house. 

I am having some of my landscaping done over this Fall and there will be two new Hydrangea bushes, among other things.

I am linking up with Off the Wall Friday.

Weekly Stitching

 I only managed to get four squares done this week because they were a little labor intensive and I spent way too much time on my monthly challenge page.

Last winter before I went to Florida I snow dyed several yards of fabric, knowing that what I had would not be enough. Last weekend I spray basted some of it to flannel and cut out about 135 more four inch squares. That should hold me for awhile. I still have a lot of fabric left and it should be enough for a backing.

I'm still having fun with little flower circles using those cute woven spoke flowers, lazy daisy and French knots.

You will see more of these variations next week.

My prompt for my July page was DOOR. I first made a set of doors that I thought were just right, but when I put them down on the page, they were all wrong so I took them off and did them over, I used the print in the fabric as a guide for the embroidery.

And a nice little surprise wheń you open the doors. I'm not sure what I'm doing for August, but I will try not to let it go until the last minute.

I'm as little late in linking up with Off the Wall Friday.