The Merry Skater

This little cutie pie is actually a companion to our ornament that will be in the JCS ornament issue this year.  The little red beads are just popping in this picture as they do on the actual ornament.  They really add a beautul dimension to the finish.  The Merry Skater ships in mid-May.

Luke and Gracie Play Day!

I don't have to do a thing to get these pups to pose. . . . . . as long as I wait until they are exhausted from their play time together!  Whenever they lay down they're always together like this as if they were still little pups.  They are over 40 pounds now and changing remarkedly every week.  Gracie is on the left and Luke on the right.  Gracie favors mom, Ruffles and Luke favors his dad ,Tof. 

An old sampler. . . . . .

Do any of you remember stamped cross stitch?  It's what I first stitched when I was a young girl.  My mom ordered kits that arrived full of bundled threads in all colors that we sorted out and put on cardboard strips.  This is one of those samplers that mom had finished.  A number of years ago I found it in a closet at her house when we were going through things and I asked if she minded if I took it home.  Her response was something like "why would you want that old faded sampler?"  Personally I love old and faded and this one fit right into my house.  It hangs on a wall where I see it every day.   Do any of you have one of these old stamped samplers in your home or another "special" stitched piece from the past that you just won't part with?

Happy stitching. . . . . . . Diane

Our family is growing!

It won't be long before our family increases by one.  Courtney is due in the not-too-distant future with a new grandson.  They already make such a nice family but it will be fun to have a little one around again. 

And again . . . . .

Hopefully this is the end of my blog re-design.  One of the previous posters commented on how hard the words were to read on the brown background and I had to agree.  So here we go with an all new way of seeing it.  The words are bigger and on a light background.  The planks remind me of an old barn (I love barns) and it seems to fit right in with the new design, Mrs. O'Leary's Dairy Farm!

New Look!

For those of you who have been visiting my blog tonight you can see I've been trying on new backgrounds the way I do shoes.  Not all are a good fit!  They look great on the designer's web site then I put them on mine and they look so different.  Not sure if I'll keep it but change is good.

I've been looking at old pics of Gracie.  Look at how little she is at 8 weeks!!! 

Let me know how you like the new background!

Gracie is 21 weeks!

Baby Gracie is becoming a big girl.  She weighs about 38 pounds and is big enough to see me eye to eye when she stands up to see me in bed!  This photo shows her in a chair.  Is she supposed to be in the chair?  No she isn't.  This is where I found her this morning.  She can use the chair to put her front paws on to look outside the front window but that's it.  So this is on her own and now we'll have to keep an eye on her. She does look cute in it though, doesn't she?

The sweetest gifts are the ones you don't expect.  XXOO

What a beautiful bouquet of flowers!

Web site update!

The newest patterns are on our web site along with the supply list for things other than DMC.  The coloring in these two designs are so pretty!    http://www.littlehouseneedleworks.com/

New Patterns

It's that time!!  I love revealing snippets of new designs.  I'm like a kid  and can't wait to get them out!  The first one is Mrs. O'Leary's Dairy Farm.  Those cows took a LONG time for me to design.  I think the entire design sat for six months before Evie stitched it for me.  I just couldn't figure out the right way to get them to look at the camera!  lol. . . . . . .

The second peek is of the Virtue Sampler.  Look at those perfect stitches!  They belong to Milly (of course).  This is a wonderful summery sampler that has the prettiest colors in it.

We ship this week so look for them in your stores soon! 

Thanks for looking!

Diane

Baby Shower

It won't be long and our fourth grandchild will be here.  It's a boy (we'll have three!).  Yesterday was the baby shower for Courtney, our son Ronny's wife.  Nikki was the hostess and did a beautiful job as always.  Last weekend we got together to make this adorable diaper cake for the party.  It was pretty easy (lots of rubber bands!) to construct. . . . . . mainly because we watched a how-to video on YouTube.  It's a shame that it has to come apart but there are very usable diapers inside! 

The baby's room is blues, tans and browns so the shower was in those colors also. . . . . . all the way down a few snack bowls which held Teddy Grahams and baby blue M&M's.

Red House in Winter

The supply list is on our web site under Ornament of the Month.  I loved stitching this one SO much . . . . especially the varigated thread on the house!  Red House in Winter will be available at the end of the month.  Notice there are no beads or buttons.  Once I finished the stitching I felt it was finished so I didn't add any.  Decorate it if you want to with clear crystal beads inside the snowflakes!  Enjoy!

Earthquake

Well, we don't live in California (I'm in Tucson, AZ) so I never thought I'd actually experience what an earthquake felt like.  Even though it was just a mild rumble and the only thing visible in the house to indicate it was happening was a swaying light fixture, it's still too close for me!  My chair was shaking slightly and it seemed the computer screen was jiggling.  Then my mom called and said the couch was shaking.  That's when I looked at the light fixture and it was swinging.  The pulls on the ceiling fans were swaying back and forth too.  So many earthquakes. . . . . .  .here, there, and everywhere.