COUNTRY COTTAGE NEEDLEWORKS

Party Cakes

2012-02-08T05:46:00.004-07:00

Anxiously awaiting their debut, here are the Party Cakes! I have to say I just love this one! You have to all know that I'm a dessert lover by now right?!

And here is a side view since it has been finished into the most adorable cube by Vonna, The Twisted Stitcher. You will be able to see more pictures of the finishing here at her blog: www.thetwistedstitcher.blogspot.com.

I think this is a great design for dessert lovers (like me!) or also maybe to celebrate a special birthday perhaps. You could replace the words "cakes" with a name or date or even the words "happy birthday." Several different options, but it's cute anyway you slice it ;)

These charts will be shipping to distributor's next week along with the new April Cottages, so keep an eye out for them later this month to early next month in your shops.

April Cottage

2012-02-06T05:50:00.002-07:00

Another month, another cottage - and now it's time for April! This one is a very springtime cottage with it's lavender house, flowers and bluebirds. And don't forget the little bunny who has his eye on those carrots! For this pattern you'll need DMC threads along with Crescent Colours' Amethyst, Sampler Threads' Chives and Weeks' Artichoke.

On Wednesday I will be posting the picture of my other new design Party Cakes, so be sure to check back here in a couple of days to see that one as well!

Our Love Nest

2012-01-11T05:46:00.002-07:00

Surrounded by birds, our charming pink cottage is truly the perfect "love nest." You could use this piece to commemorate your home, family or anniversary. It's also a great piece to be stitching if you're in that lovey dovey (pardon the pun!) mood with Valentine's Day approaching.

These patterns, along with March Cottage, will be shipping to distributors early next week. You can also check my website then to see the complete materials lists for both designs.

March Cottage

2012-01-09T05:50:00.003-07:00

Hello everyone! Hope you all had a nice weekend. I thought I would post the picture of March Cottage this morning and hopefully brighten everyone's Monday a bit! This month's cottage has just one overdyed thread, that being Weeks' Pecan. All the rest of the threads are DMC.

On Wednesday I'll be posting the picture of our other new design, Our Love Nest, so be sure to come back to see that one as well!

The Nutcracker

2011-12-19T14:24:00.008-07:00

So this past weekend was Nutcracker weekend! This is Juliet's 4th year participating in her dance company's production of the quintessential Christmas ballet. And so it has become a part of our family's holiday tradition at this point - and we absolutely love it! Above is a picture of her dad and I with her after the show.

This was a picture of her taken onstage in her Arabian costume during dress rehearsal.

And here she is dressed as an Angel.

With her two best friends dressed as Party Girls onstage.

Doing leaps as Candy Canes.

In the Meadow

2011-12-07T08:11:00.003-07:00

As I said, this is the last of our holiday designs for this year. I really love the fabric that In the Meadow is stitched on. It's Weeks' 30 count Scuppernong Linen. The piece is stitched entirely using just five Crescent Colours: Bamboo, Bramble Bush, Blackbird, Hazelnut and Steamed Broccoli but a DMC conversion is provided.

I hope that all of you are enjoying your holiday stitching!

February Cottage

2011-12-06T05:47:00.003-07:00

Here is the next in our Cottage of the Month series, February Cottage. This one uses Crescent Colours' Poblano Pepper, Pink Posey and Pink Champagne along with a few other DMC threads. All of the models for this series will be stitched on Wichelt's 28 count Lambswool Linen. I know that many of you out there are quite excited about this series and I'm so happy about that! These patterns will be shipping to distributors mid December so you can expect them in your shops sometime after that.

And be sure to check back here tomorrow for a picture of the last of our holiday designs for this year, In the Meadow.

Sean's Camping Party

2011-11-29T10:41:00.007-07:00

So my little man Sean turned 8 a little over a week ago and to celebrate his birthday this year we had a camping party. Now anyone who knows me will tell you that I am not a camper, but cute backyard camping is something I can totally get into! Here is Sean sitting in front of his "campfire."

My husband Derrick made these little tents for the kids to hang out in. They were very popular! We had his friends over in the evening to watch a movie, so you see the movie screen in the back.

Isn't this just the cutest cake?! I found some inspiration from some cakes online and had this cake made for Sean. And that's Luke, our golden retriever, next to him!

In addition to the cake we had a S'Mores Bar - because what's a campout without some s'mores?

And here I am with the birthday boy :)

Vintage Christmas

2011-11-05T21:32:00.005-07:00

As many of you already know, I absolutely adore the pink and blue Christmas palate, and this new design is my homage to that vintage style. Vintage Christmas is one of those pieces that I love as a complete design, but that also works really well broken up into smaller pieces that you can turn into ornaments and other "smalls."

This pattern will be shipping to distributors mid- November along with January Cottage, and you can check my website around that time for complete supply information about them both.

Cottage of the Month Stitch Along

2011-11-04T15:03:00.002-07:00

So I just had to share with you all that Vonna, of The Twisted Stitcher fame, is starting a stitch along for the Cottage of the Month series! She has created a new blog for it with all sorts of great information. You can see it here: http://ccn-cottages.blogspot.com/. Great idea Vonna!

Cottage of the Month - January Cottage

2011-11-04T08:04:00.004-07:00

I have something that I'm very excited to share with you all today! I have a new series of patterns that I am going to be releasing starting this month. The series is called Cottage of the Month, and it is a 12 month long series featuring 12 different cottages all inspired by the months of the year.

The designs will all be the same size and will feature a mix of DMC and overdyed threads. There are many finishing possibilities with these, but if you do choose to use a frame, you can easily pop them in and out to change with the months, since they will all be the same size.

The designs will all be about 5 1/2" square when stitched on 28 count fabric. They are a perfect size to finish with enough time to have them ready for the coming month. This first cottage is of course January, and since it will be available in shops near the end of this month or the beginning of next month you will have time to get it all stitched up by January.

I hope that you all will enjoy stitching this series as much as I have enjoyed designing it, and be sure to check back here on Monday for a picture of our newest holiday design, Vintage Christmas.

Taylor Swift Concert!

2011-10-23T16:31:00.003-07:00

So last night Derrick and I took Juliet to her first ever concert - to see Taylor Swift! Juliet absolutely loves Taylor and had been looking forward to this for months. She sounded wonderful and put on an amazing live show. We had great seats and this is a picture I took of her during the encore.

We had a wonderful evening and Juliet said it was the best night of her life - so thanks for coming to Phoenix Taylor!

Old Tucson

2011-10-16T19:19:00.004-07:00

We spent the day out at Old Tucson today. It is one of those cool places unique to Tucson. It is a working movie studio where many Hollywood westerns have been filmed throughout the decades. It is one of my mom's absolute favorite places and my kids love to put on their cowboy/girl gear and go hang out for the day. This time we had the kids take some of those old time photographs. They loved it and really didn't want to take the outfits off :)

Juliet as a saloon girl.

Sean as a gunslinger.

Gingerbread Houses

2011-10-10T06:06:00.005-07:00

As promised, here is the second of our two new holiday designs. This one is called Gingerbread Houses, and you can see the name tucked into the sampler style alphabet. I know that my kids, especially Juliet, love decorating gingerbread houses at Christmastime. We kind of cheat though and buy the kind that you just have to assemble and then decorate :) Any way you do it, it's lots of fun and hopefully this design reminds you all of decorating your own gingerbread houses.

I will be posting complete materials lists for both this design and Merry Christmas Ornaments later this week on my website - the same time that the designs get shipped to distributors.

Merry Christmas Ornaments

2011-10-07T07:11:00.004-07:00

Merry Christmas Ornaments is the first of our holiday designs this year. As many of you will notice, it is something of a companion piece to my ornament Merry Christmas that appeared in the Just Cross Stitch Ornament Issue this year. Both are done using the same all DMC color palate. I happen to love the vintagey pink, aqua blue and green holiday color scheme, but if it's not quite your thing, this could easily be done in another color palate. Just choose your three favorite holiday colors for the ornaments and Voila! - a perfect match to any holiday decor!

I am also in love with the finish on this design. Vonna from The Twisted Stitcher did a beautiful job turning it into a custom cut cube - complete with little crystal ball feet! She had also done the finishing on my JCS ornament, using the same pink and white polka dot fabric on both. You can visit her site at www.thetwistedstitcher.blogspot.com. She will be posting some more pictures of the cube there sometime soon.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and be sure to check back here Monday for a picture of our second new holiday design, Gingerbread Houses.

Fall Ball

2011-10-03T08:25:00.006-07:00

Sean has been playing Little League for the first time. They call it Fall Ball when it's played in the off season, and he's been having a great time.

Up at bat!

In the dugout :)

Autumn Pumpkins

2011-09-05T16:52:00.005-07:00

This new design is a bit of a departure for me with it's fall coloring and black frame, but I have to say that I enjoyed designing it and I really like how it turned out. I especially like the idea of looking towards fall right now, as I am ready to put this very hot summer behind me! "Autumn Pumpkins" is stitched entirely with over dyed threads, but a DMC conversion is provided. The complete materials list will be available on my website towards the middle of this month, around the same time that the patterns ship to the distributors.

The Apple Orchard

2011-08-10T05:33:00.004-07:00

Here is the second of our two new designs this month, The Apple Orchard. Crescent Colours' Crab Cakes thread makes for the perfect red barn in this design. A couple of other hand dyed threads were used, as well as DMC. The complete information about this design and Here Kitty Kitty will be available on my website the first of next week.

Here Kitty Kitty

2011-08-08T17:59:00.005-07:00

So here's a new one perfect for all you kitty lovers out there! I myself am both a dog and cat person - we have one of each at our house. My cat Daisy is an orange tabby, and she is not represented in this design since her orange color would have blended into the pumpkins! There are however lots of other kitties in this piece, and I think it would make a great addition to your fall stitching. I'll be posting a picture in a couple days of our other new pattern The Apple Orchard, so be sure to check back here soon!

Correction

2011-07-17T17:18:00.003-07:00

Please note that some of the pattern backs to "Sunflowers in Summer" do not indicate that you will need 2 skeins of Sampler Threads' Baby Spinach to complete the design on the recommended fabric count.

Sunflowers in Summer

2011-07-07T12:16:00.005-07:00

I have a new design to share with you all - Sunflowers in Summer. It was stitched by my Gramma Carol on what has become one of my favorite fabrics, Weeks' 30 count Cocoa Linen. The patterns will be shipping to distributors at the end of next week and you can see all the info about this design on my website at that time.

A Day at the Beach

2011-06-03T06:53:00.006-07:00

For all the beach lovers out there (including myself!) here is A Day at the Beach. This is one of those kinds of patterns that's great as a whole, but also perfect for stitching pieces of for your smaller projects. It will be available in shops towards the end of the month and all the details will be posted on my website in a couple weeks.

Huntington Beach

2011-06-01T07:27:00.009-07:00

My family and I spent the latter part of last week in Huntington Beach. We were there with Juliet and four of the girls she dances with as part of Discover the World Marketing's 30th Anniversary and Conference. The girls were part of the entertainment for the event, dancing at several different times. They had a blast! And when they weren't dancing we got to hang out by the pool and at the beach. Such a fun trip!

The Discover Divas (as they were called). Too cute!

California Girls :)

And here is Sean enjoying some pool time :)

Bee Joyful

2011-05-06T08:06:00.007-07:00

As promised, here is the picture of my other new design, Bee Joyful. I just love the pinks and greens in this one. Such a happy design! Just like Button, Button, these patterns will be shipping at the end of next week, with detailed information on my website at that time as well.

I would also like to say Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful moms out there (mine included!). Hope you all have a great weekend!

Button, Button

2011-05-05T06:16:00.005-07:00

Hello, everyone! I thought I would post a picture of one of my newest designs this morning. This is a whimsical piece entitled Button, Button. The "buttons" on the design are actually cross stitched, but a fun idea would be to add some real buttons to your finished piece. I think it would be really cute and give the design some cool dimension. These patterns will be shipping to distributors at the end of next week and the detailed information will be available on my website at that time as well. Also, tomorrow I will be posting a picture of my other new design, Bee Joyful.

Red, White and Bloom

2011-04-04T08:22:00.003-07:00

Hello everyone! I thought that a great way to start a new week would be to show you all a new design! This one is called Red, White and Bloom. It is stitched completely in overdyed thread, but DMC alternatives will be provided. I think it feels bright and fresh, and we will be shipping it to distributors in a couple weeks. That gives you plenty of time to start stitching it and have it ready for summer :) The complete information about it will be on my website in a couple weeks.

Juliet at Competition

2011-03-16T09:11:00.005-07:00

As many of you already know, my daughter Juliet is a dancer. This past weekend we went to Phoenix as a part of her studio's competition dance team. This is a picture that was taken during one of her dances. She did so well, and I was such a proud mama!

Simply Vintage

2011-03-07T05:58:00.004-07:00

The second of our new releases this month is Simply Vintage. It is stitched in just four shades of DMC, and feels like a must have for all the Shabby Chic/Flea Market style lovers out there (like me!). It will also be shipping to distributors in about a week. You can go to my website around that time to find the complete materials lists for both this design and April Showers.

April Showers

2011-03-04T07:36:00.008-07:00

With spring just around the corner, I thought this would be a perfect time to show you all my newest design, April Showers. It will be shipping to distributors in a little over a week. And be sure to check back here on Monday, as I will be previewing my other new release, Simply Vintage. Until then, take care and I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Juliet's Blue Birthday Party!

2011-02-07T09:25:00.007-07:00

It's Juliet's birthday today! And to celebrate my little girl turning 9 we had a party for her this weekend. We called it the Blue Party, since as you can see, everything was blue! In case you hadn't guessed, it is her favorite color :)

A picture of me with the birthday girl.

Blue pompoms hung above the cake table. She had a cake with blue roses, but her special request was that I make blueberry muffins.

We had lots of blue candy, which of course she enjoyed :)

Bunny Hop

2011-01-05T06:12:00.005-07:00

As promised, here is the picture of the second design that we will be shipping in mid-January, Bunny Hop. It's another cute, springy design filled with hopping bunnies, carrots and rolling hills of green grass. Look for the details on my website towards the end of next week.

Sheep in the Meadow

2011-01-03T07:58:00.003-07:00

To kick off the new year, I thought I'd give you all a picture of my newest design! It is entitled Sheep in the Meadow and will be shipping to distributors mid January. All of the design details will be available on my website around the same time. This is a very sweet, springy design - perhaps the perfect thing to stitch when it's very cold and you're wishing for a preview of spring! You can also check back here in a couple of days when I will also be posting a picture of my other design I will be releasing, Bunny Hop.

Sean's Star Wars Party

2010-12-30T08:57:00.012-07:00

As I had mentioned in my previous post, Sean's birthday was the kickoff to a very busy month for us. So I am just now getting around to sharing some pictures with you. Sean is a huge Star Wars fan, and so for his 7th birthday we decided to have a Lego Star Wars Party. I borrowed some really cool ideas from people off the internet and we came up with some stuff ourselves. We made Yoda Soda (green punch), Wookie Cookies, Death Star Donuts, and Pretzel Lightsabers (pictured above). The party turned out wonderfully and the kids had a blast! Derrick created the R2-D2 out of a trash can and some foam - pretty cool huh?

This is a picture of the kids in their costumes. Don't you just love baby Andrew as Yoda?!

Derrick created very large Luke and Darth Vader Lego characters. He's very artistic, that hubby of mine.

Derrick also made the Death Star Pinata and Lightsaber pinata stick.

Here are Sean, Juliet and Luke (with his lightsaber!) in the landspeeder that Derrick constructed.

The Nutcracker

2010-12-29T14:41:00.004-07:00

Hello everyone! I admit that I have been a bad blogger as of late. I hope that you all have had a wonderful holiday. It has been such a busy month for our family. My son Sean's birthday was in late November followed by Thanksgiving. And then December was packed with all the usual holiday activities, including Juliet's participation in her ballet company's production of the Nutcracker. This year she was a Party Girl, Arabian dancer, and Candy Cane. She adores the Nutcracker and it is truly a joy for us as a family to watch her.

Strawberry Shortcake

2010-11-18T13:52:00.002-07:00

Strawberry Shortcake will be the first released in the Cottage Cakes series, so I wanted you all to have a little closer look at it :)

Country Cottage Cakes

2010-11-18T12:55:00.005-07:00

We are proud to introduce our newest line of Thread Packs with Crescent Colours called Country Cottage Cakes. Each cake is approximately 7" square and comes with 5 skeins of Crescent Colours cotton thread in the pack. These are the largest size Thread Packs that we have done to date, which means you are getting a very nice sized finished design.

You can stitch just one cake or several together - it's completely up to you! You can look on my website on the Thread Packs page for more details about these upcoming designs.

Snowflake Serenade

2010-11-08T09:08:00.002-07:00

I'm so excited to show you all this new design! It is called Snowflake Serenade and is the last of the holiday themed designs from CCN this year. It also happens to be my personal favorite! I just love decorating with blues and greens and whites during the holidays. And the snowflake frame from The Family Tree is such a perfect match for the piece. The complete information for this design will be on my website in about a week, right around the time the patterns ship out to the distributors, so be sure to check in!

Joy * Love * Peace

2010-10-08T08:06:00.002-07:00

As promised, here is the second of our two new holiday themed designs. This one is entitled Joy * Love * Peace and is similar in theme and coloring to our ornament Merry & Bright that is appearing in the Just Cross Stitch Ornament Issue this year. I just love pinks and greens in holiday decorating, and I know that some of you do too! So I hope that you'll enjoy this one. It is shipping at the same time as Christmas Carols. All the details about both designs will be available on my website later next week.

Christmas Carols

2010-10-06T05:59:00.003-07:00

It is officially the beginning of holiday stitching at CCN! Christmas Carols is the first of two new holiday designs that I will be releasing later this month. The designs will ship to the distributors later next week and will be available in your shops either late October or early November. Look for a picture of Joy * Love * Peace to debut in a couple of days. Happy Holiday Stitching everyone!

My Little Cub Scout

2010-09-28T06:11:00.003-07:00

So, I just have to tell you how proud I am of my little man, Sean. He is an official Cub Scout now! He just earned his Bobcat Badge last night, which is the first of many patches he will be earning. I am actually in awe of the number of achievments and patches that the boys can earn - I had no idea!

This is a picture of him selling popcorn in front of Sunflower Market. Popcorn is the Boy Scout equivalent of Girl Scout Cookies, which is to say their biggest fundraiser of the year.

He's really enjoying all the activities and just loves getting to wear his uniform. So cute!!

Go Wildcats!!!

2010-09-20T08:57:00.005-07:00

So for the first time ever, we have season tickets to the University of Arizona Wildcats football games this year. So exciting! We used to go more when I was in college (and sit in the cheap student section!) but we decided to really make an effort to go to the games this season.
This past Saturday night, Derrick, Sean, me, and my dad went to the game. And what a game it was, as our Wildcats upset Iowa 34 to 27!

This picture shows Sean while he was still happy and awake. Poor guy fell asleep on the bleachers as the game stretched on into the night!

Pumpkin Cottage

2010-09-16T05:57:00.002-07:00

For those of you who have been waiting, here is the full picture of Pumpkin Cottage! I hope you all like it, as it is a very "cottage" take on a fall design. I'm a big fan of using lighter colors in fall decorating, but I'm sure that doesn't really surprise anyone! The patterns for this design are being shipped today so you can look for them to appear at your LNS either later this month or early October. And for all the details about the pattern, head on over to my website.

Sneak Peek!

2010-09-01T09:50:00.004-07:00

For everyone who is ready for a little taste of fall, here is a sneak peek of Pumpkin Cottage! This design will be shipping to distributor's in a couple of weeks, so look for it in shops towards the end of this month. I will also post a complete picture of the design in a couple of weeks, so keep a look out!

Even here in the Tucson desert we can tell that fall is approaching, as our evenings and mornings have (thankfully!) begun to cool down a bit.

Two New Patterns!

2010-08-13T05:36:00.006-07:00

So here are the final two patterns in our Cottage Kids Nursery Rhyme Collection. They are Little Miss Muffet and Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater! You can see the entire collection of six together on the Cottage Kids page under "Nursery Rhymes" on my website. I think there are a lot of possibilities for this little collection as far as finishing goes. They could be finished as cubes to reflect a kind of nursery, building block feeling. Or they could be stitched into blocks for a baby quilt or a wall hanging. I've also heard the idea of finishing them as a little nursery rhyme book. Lots of ideas and I'm sure you can come up with even more! In any case, I hope you enjoy them because I've had lots of fun designing them!

Attention Annette: Winner of the Summer Giveaway

2010-08-09T07:25:00.002-07:00

Hi Annette,

I have not yet received your address and pattern choice. Please email me at CottageStitching@msn.com so that I can mail you your pattern. Thanks!

And the Winners Are . . .

2010-08-06T06:47:00.003-07:00

The random number finder has picked our two winners and they are: Jane from the U.K. (seventh post from the top) and Annette - My Life in Stitches (twelfth post from the top). Both of you will need to email me at CottageStitching@msn.com with your pattern choice and address by Monday. Congratulations to our winners and thank you to everyone who entered!

Summer Giveaway!

2010-08-01T09:13:00.004-07:00

While it is still terribly hot here in the desert of Arizona, "summer" as a concept is coming quickly to an end for me. My kids are going back to school this coming Thursday, which of course is both exciting and sad for them (and me!) at the same time. And so to celebrate the end of summer, I am having a giveaway! I will choose two winners who can each choose one of three of my summer themed patterns to have. The choices are Summer at the Shore, Beach Cottage, or She Sells Seashells. All you have to do is respond to this post and I will enter you in the drawing. The winners will be announced Friday July 6th at about 7:00 a.m. my time. Good luck everyone!

Fall Festival

2010-07-19T09:19:00.003-07:00

For everyone that's looking for a little relief from the summer heat, how about stitching the Fall Festival? This is the last in the series of seasonally inspired thread packs that I have designed and distributed with Crescent Colours. I have enjoyed designing each of these in the series and hope that some of you out there have enjoyed stitching them as well. Take a look over on my website on the "Thread Pack" page for more information about this series.

Summer Vacation

2010-07-18T07:17:00.011-07:00

As you all know, I've got a thing for the beach. And as a family one of our favorite vacation spots is San Diego, which is where we have been for the past week. We had a great time visiting Legoland, Sea World, the San Diego Zoo, and of course the beach. So I thought I'd share a couple pictures with you.

Juliet loves animals and so she really liked Sea World and the zoo. This is a picture of her holding a star fish in one of Sea World's tide pools.

Sean is a Lego fanatic so this is a picture of him in front of a Lego workroom in Legoland. I don't think we'd ever get him out if he had a chance to go in there and build!

One of My Favorite Things

2010-07-08T11:43:00.002-07:00

So, have you ever wondered about my blog list, and why all the party blogs? The answer is that I am obsessed! I love love love throwing parties (as anyone who knows me will attest to!) I love everything from the planning to the decorating, from the food to the music - and everything in between. That has to be why the Sweet Treats thread packs are one of my favorite designs. Any one of these treats look like they could show up as dessert at one of my parties. If only my cake decorating talents could match that of my stitching!

My Kids

2010-07-07T12:14:00.004-07:00

So my mom has been playing (and learning!) a lot with her camera recently. This is of course to my benefit since she uses my kids as her models, and then I get lots of great pictures of them! She took this picture of Juliet, Sean and Luke that I just love.

Happy 4th of July!

2010-07-01T12:38:00.006-07:00

I hope that everyone has a wonderful 4th of July this weekend, filled with family, good food, and hopefully some fireworks! I'm not sure what our plans are yet but I know that we will be spending time together as a family. I attached this picture of "Bless Our Home" as it seemed a fitting theme for a time when we love to celebrate all that is American. So be safe and have fun everyone, and may all your homes be blessed as well!

Our Puppy

2010-06-25T06:23:00.003-07:00

Those of you familiar with my mom's blog have of course learned that we have a couple of golden retreiver pups. They are brother and sister and my parents have Gracie and we have Luke. Both of their very favorite thing in the world is to be around each other. This picture was taken on what was a great day for Luke. He is relaxing in the shade in my parents' back yard after an exhausting morning of tumbling around with Gracie. For him, life just doesn't get much better :)

Just Cross Stitch Ornament

2010-06-22T08:38:00.003-07:00

Straight from the pages of the Just Cross Stitch Ornament Preview Issue, here is a picture of my ornament, Season of Love. My mom and I had fun coordinating our ornaments with a gingerbread theme for this issue. I hope you enjoy them!

My Little Nephew

2010-06-21T07:40:00.003-07:00

Here is little Andrew! What a cutie he is, don't you think? I love getting to hold babies - they just feel so good in your arms. My kids are in love with him too. Sean has always liked babies, and even Juliet (who has never liked babies!) adores him. They just love how soft and tiny he is. And they just laugh when I tell them how I was never able to see them when they were this small because they were such big babies! Juliet was 9.1 pounds and Sean was 9.8 pounds. So we're all just enjoying this little guy right now :)

New Stuff!

2010-06-18T08:51:00.005-07:00

So here are the complete pictures of the new designs, Summer at the Shore and Mary Mary Quite Contrary. I'm particularly in love with Summer at the Shore because I wish that I could really spend my whole summer there! Just put me at the beach and I'm happy! I think that Mary Mary is a nice addition to the Nursery Rhyme Collection as well. She will be joined by Little Miss Muffet and Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater in the next couple of months to complete that series. All the details about the new designs are available on my website.

You can also see a new ornament that I've designed called Season of Love in the Just Cross Stitch Ornament Preview Issue. It has a gingerbread theme that compliments my mom's ornament that is in the issue as well.

And finally, I would like to thank all of you who have so warmly welcomed me into blogland and left such nice comments on my posts. I really like hearing from you and hope you continue to check in here on my blog!

Recital Time!

2010-06-15T11:23:00.006-07:00

So, my very busy week with Juliet's dance recital is over, and I have to admit I'm a little sad. I loved watching her perform but knowing it was the last time she would do those dances was a little bittersweet. Before too long though, they'll be working on dances for next year, and I can't wait to see what she'll do next!

She of course had a great time with her friends. You can always count on a bunch of 8 year old girls for lots of excitement and drama!

Busy Week!

2010-06-10T08:08:00.002-07:00

It has been such a busy week! As many of you know who follow my mom's blog, my nephew Andrew was born yesterday. He is such a cute little baby. I got to see him and hold him yesterday and can't wait till I get to again!

Also, my daughter Juliet has her summer dance recital this weekend, so we will be very busy down at the theater the rest of this week. It's lots of fun but also very tiring!

And finally, I have a little snippet of Mary Mary Quite Contrary for you to see. I think she's so cute standing in her little garden.

My New Blog

2010-06-08T08:38:00.005-07:00

Hello everyone. . . . I have finally started a blog! My first post is a preview of an upcoming design called Summer at the Shore. I love all things beachy and blue, don't you?

I also have another nursery rhyme coming out at the same time. Mary Mary Quite Contrary is the fourth design in my collection. I'll post a photo preview of that too in a day or so.

Thanks for stopping by!

COUNTRY COTTAGE NEEDLEWORKS

Party Cakes

April Cottage

Our Love Nest

March Cottage

The Nutcracker

In the Meadow

February Cottage

Sean's Camping Party

Vintage Christmas

Cottage of the Month Stitch Along

Cottage of the Month - January Cottage

Taylor Swift Concert!

Old Tucson

Gingerbread Houses

Merry Christmas Ornaments

Fall Ball

Autumn Pumpkins

The Apple Orchard

Here Kitty Kitty

*Correction*

Sunflowers in Summer

A Day at the Beach

Huntington Beach

Bee Joyful

Button, Button

Red, White and Bloom

Juliet at Competition

Simply Vintage

April Showers

Juliet's Blue Birthday Party!

Bunny Hop

Sheep in the Meadow

Sean's Star Wars Party

The Nutcracker

Strawberry Shortcake

Country Cottage Cakes

Snowflake Serenade

Joy * Love * Peace

Christmas Carols

My Little Cub Scout

Go Wildcats!!!

Pumpkin Cottage

Sneak Peek!

Two New Patterns!

Attention Annette: Winner of the Summer Giveaway

And the Winners Are . . .

Summer Giveaway!

Fall Festival

Summer Vacation

One of My Favorite Things

My Kids

Happy 4th of July!

Our Puppy

Just Cross Stitch Ornament

My Little Nephew

New Stuff!

Recital Time!

Busy Week!

My New Blog

Correction