Old Tucson Studios

Oh happy day!  I was recently  blessed with a long-overdue visit with my friend, Kim from high school.  We had a wonderful time together and didn't sit still a moment she was here.  Sunday our plans took us out to Old Tucson Movie Studios with the family.

 Diane and Kim

Old movie set for the tv show High Chaparal

 My dentist office.  :)

A view of some of the new sets behind the horse and stagecoach.  New building has been going on at the studio since the fire destroyed some of the best sets like those used in the series, Gunsmoke.

Gorgeous buildings with tons of southwest personality.

Thank goodness for modern washers and dryers (and clothes!).

The old train and church.

Grandchildren Sean, Jeff, Juliet and Andrew dressed in period costumes for their vintage photo shoot. 

 Oh did they ever have fun!!!

Lastly, Kim and I hanging out with a few of the locals.  :)

Happy trails to you!

Diane

Warm Winter Woolens

When I think of winter woolens I think of sweaters.  Maybe you think of sheep.  This design is like dipping chocolate into peanut butter. . . . . you get something totally different from both thoughts!

You can see we framed it in a Sudberry candle screen.  It will look wonderful with a courting candle or candlestick beside it.

I have a goal to update the LHN web site either tomorrow or Thursday.  Look for supply lists then.

Happy Stitching,
Diane

12 Days of Christmas

This is not your usual 12 Days of Christmas!  I always try to reinvent the wheel a bit and I'm hoping you like my interpretation of this old classic.  All twelve items are represented in this design.  Sorting through the various birds shouldn't be too hard.  The lettering will stitch fast so if you get started right away you will have this done in plenty of time for the holidays. 

This design along with Snow in Love (already previewed) and Warm Winter Woolens will ship to our distributors in a few days.  Come back tomorrow for the photo of the third release.

Happy Stitching (and singing now that you've read through the 12 items!),

Diane

Snow in Love

It's ornament reveal time!  

What can be sweeter than two snow folk in love?  

The last three ornaments of the 2011 series are stitched on Weeks Dye Works 30 ct. Cocoa linen.  

This pattern along with two others will ship the end of this week.

Stay tuned for more design photos!

Diane

JCS Ornament Issue

I LOVE the annual Just Cross Stitch ornament issue.  I anticipate designing for it as much as you anticipate the publication! This year's ornament is titled "Fresh Fallen Snow".  It is stitched on Weeks Dye Works Cocoa with Belle Soie from Crescent Colours.  Looking at it right now it reminds me of a quilt.  Imagine the block repeated  3 across and three down, changing the house to red and leaving the trees green.  You'd have a full sized design created with 36 individual squares!

I know there are still copies of the magazine available and it is such a bargain with so many designs to choose from!  Thank you for finishing it Vonna!!  

Diane

A trip up north. . . . . .

Ron and I took a nice little trip up north to Sedona, Arizona.  We stayed at a place that was only a few steps away from Tlaquepaque Arts and Crafts Village.  It was amazing as were the sites in and around the city.  The first photo looks like a scene from a European city.

Gracie went along and was welcomed everywhere we went.  In fact because of her, we met a lot of really wonderful people along the way who stopped to pet her.  

Orange is not my favorite color but up here it looks spectacular!

These are my two favorite traveling companions!

And have you ever seen such pretty peppers??

I'll end the post by sharing this sweet photo of a very young model who was posing near the fountain in Tlaquepaque.  It's one of those moments that I found beautiful and engaging all at once.

I'll be back to stitching tomorrow!

Diane

Someone's birthday . . . . . .

Every year this day rolls around!  It's Nikki's birthday today.  Her dad and I started a tradition years ago of taking her out on her birthday. We had fun at the mall then lunch afterwards.  

Ron and Nikki had the most delicious burgers on toasted bread.  

The fries were tasty too (I stole one of Nikki's).

What you see next is an ENORMOUS baked potato filled with chicken and broccoli. 

Nikki is a wonderful daughter and an awesome business person I love to bounce ideas around with.  Wishing you many more happy birthdays sweetie!!!

Diane (mom)

First Day of Fall

Even though it is as hot as summer, a wee bit of fall decorating is going on at the Williams house.  Like many of you we are more than ready for cooler temps.  I have two candles burning. . . . . . Frosted Pumpkin and Autumn Pumpkin.  Neither smells like pumpkin.  I'm out of my favorite, Autumn Harvest.  And why did Yankee Candle quit making Cinnamon?  They replaced it with Cinnamon Sticks but it just wasn't the same.

I also changed out a few cross stitch pieces on my walls. Right now I'm really wishing I had some smaller autumnal designs stitched for my cubby.  Maybe next year.  The colors of fall are my favorite for decorating and designing.  Now if the temperatures would just dip below 90 I'd be a lot happier!

Happy stitching,
Diane

September Releases

The newsletter is going up on our website today.  The new patterns we'll ship to our distributors at the end of the week are Little Miss Sunflower, Autumn Band Sampler, and the ornament, Joy and Peace.  I love fall so the two autumnal pieces are making me yearn for cooler temps, shorter days, and blue jeans!!!

This Week in September

Like so many of you, our days leading up to September 11th each year are spent remembering the horrible events of that awful day in history.  This year has been no different as we  pause to remember where we were when we heard the news, how we reacted with stunned silence and then tears when we saw the images and heard the terrible stories as they unfolded in front of our eyes.

We all know this is the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attack but our thoughts here are also with the family of a little girl born on 9/11 in Tucson who did not live to see her tenth birthday.  Christina-Taylor Green lost her life in the shooting back in January that seriously injured our Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and killed five others.  Christina was the hope for the future, the pride of her family, the reminder that out of something bad, good could come.

Let us never forget any of those who not only lost, but gave their lives that day.

We have a sampler that contains this verse:

Red for brave hearts that burn
With liberty,
White for the peace they earn
Making men free,
Stars for the Heaven above,—
Blue for the deep,
Where, in their country’s love,
Heroes shall sleep.

The first time I read it I was tearful and I thought of the lives from wars long forgotten to those more recent.  It was written by Wallace Rice and is titled "Under the Stars".  It seems fitting to post it this weekend.

Diane