I Have a "Real" Website Now!

Unfortunately it's been about 16 months since I've posted here.   A lot has happened in that time...

• I bought a house in Las Vegas after 3 years of living in an apartment since my cross country move (I guess that means I'm staying, LOL!)
• My boyfriend had a massive stroke 3 months after I moved into my new house and still hasn't fully recovered
• I've become a grandma again (he's sooo stinking cute, but I could be biased)
• I've released several new designs
• And most recently, I launched an actual .com website this week!!

I'm still working on adding all of my patterns (now at 80+) along with some of my design models I'll be selling, needle minders and other handmade items, but should have it all done by this weekend.

If you'd like to pop on over and check it out, just click on the photo above.

And if you see something you think you just *need* to buy, use coupon code BLOG15 for 15% off your entire order, now through Tuesday 6/18/19.

Ciao!

You Had Me At Meow

It's been wayyyy too long since I've released any new patterns.  I was a complete slacker in 2017 and decided 2018 would be a much better year!

First up for this year is perfect for all the cat lovers out there.

 

I stitched my model using 3 shades of DMC floss for an ombre look on a piece of sky blue linen fabric that was in my stash. You can easily stitch the piece all in one color of floss, or do your own ombre color combination.  It's a very quick stitch that can be done in a weekend.






And can I saw how much I love the little mouse "pedestal" that my finisher used?!  Yes, I was and still am a huge Tom and Jerry fan.

If you're interested in this design, you can purchase it at any of these places.

Until the next time...Happy Stitching!

Shiba Inu Silhouette

Woof!  Woof!  I'm running in to tell you all about my latest silhouette design.  

After being on my extensive list for quite awhile, I'm pleased to finally have the Shiba Inu done and ready for purchase.

I stitched my model using  DMC #310 on a piece of "orange cream" evenweave fabric that was in my stash. Since I have my "Giganto" cone of black, you're going to be seeing a lot more of my silhouettes stitched using it.   Don't worry, I'll try not to be too boring and will through in some unexpected color every now and then.

If you're interested in this design, you can purchase it at any of these places.

Until the next time...Happy Stitching!

Bibliophiles Unite!

BIBLIOPHILE  ˈbiblēəˌfīl/

noun

noun: bibliophile; plural noun: bibliophiles

a person who collects or has a great love of books

Are you a lover of books also?  Are you on Goodreads?  I recently discovered it and am so excited about being able to track what I've read, want to read, etc. (you know how Virgos are, LOL!)  

If you're interested in what I'm reading when I'm not stitching (which includes my Agatha Christie podcast/book club with a friend), feel free to follow me here.

Until the next time...Happy Stitching AND reading!

New Series: Fortune Cookie Wisdom

Several years ago I decided to start a new series, but am just now bringing it to life.  The series will be quotes I've gotten in fortune cookies over the years, all framed by a Chinese lattice inspired "blackwork" design.   To liven the frames up, there may be French knots, beads or other embellishments.   Some of the quotes will be fun, and some may be more serious.

Today we start with Fortune Cookie Wisdom #1: Good Virtue

This particular design uses French knots.  If you're not a fan of French knots, you can always use seed beads instead.

Because I don't want to take away from the blackwork style designs with a hand-dyed fabric, I'm using plain white aida.

If you're interested in this design, you can purchase it at any of these places.

Stay tuned for more designs in this series.  I already have the 2nd one stitched, finished and ready to go, so I'll release it in the next few weeks.

Until the next time...Happy Stitching!

The Alamo Silhouette

It's been wayyyyy too long since I've released a new design!!

Today I'll be sharing my Alamo Silhouette.  This particular design was requested by several ladies last year when I was in San Antonio, TX for the Stitches From The Heart Stitch Camp.

I stitched my model using a blend of two DMC threads and stitched it on a piece of green evenweave fabric that was in my stash.. 

If you're interested in this design, you can purchase it at any of these places.

Until the next time...Happy Stitching!

Temperature Block Sampler

Whenever I see a craft I feel is really interesting, but don't know how to do that technique, I always try to think of a way to convert it to a cross stitched piece.   That's exactly what happened with my Temperature Block Sampler.

Last year on New Year's Eve I was trolling Facebook and found a post about crocheting a temperature blanket.  Because I had yet to teach myself how to crochet, I went into the cross stitch conversion mode.  I instantly left whatever NYE Countdown show I was watching and sat down at my computer with my notepad and started coming up with ideas.   There were a few I sketched and when charting them, they just didn't work for me.   After quite awhile I settled on a block sampler.  By that point in time it was too late into 2016 to release the design.

So, here we are just a few days before the start of 2017 and I'm releasing it in time for people to start a new "thread-a-day" piece.  I already have 3 local stitching friends that will be doing it with me.  I, of course, will be stitching using the suggested DMC colors.  Some of them will be changing colors to use overdyed fibers. 

The photo below is strictly a representation of the layout of the chart, and was based on actual daily high temperatures in Las Vegas, NV for 2015.  The greater fluctuation in your local weather, the more colors you'll have in your design.  As you can tell from this photo, Vegas is pretty consistent in temperature for days on end.

Interested in getting this design for yourself?  If so, head on over to my Etsy shop before January 2, 2017 and save $3.00 off the PDF download price with coupon code TEMPBLOG at checkout.

I'd love to see lots of color variations of this design, so if you DO stitch the design, please feel free to share pics of your WIP and finished piece over on my Facebook page.

Until the next time...Happy Stitching!

Editor's Note 03-06-17:  Below is a photo of the piece I'm creating, with stitching completed through January 26th:

In addition, if you'd like to see what other people's pieces look like, check out the album I've created on my Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/pg/Stitchnmomma/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1350622718292871 

Little Hands, Tiny Feet - Baby Cross Stitch Pattern

Finally!  It's only taken me more than 3-1/2 years to get around to stitching the models for this design I originally released in January 2013.  The pattern contains both colorways, for the boy & girl versions.  It's a relatively quick stitch (especially if you leave of the "dotted" background) and would make a great gift for someone's new baby.

Of course the fantastic finishing was done by Rita at SnowBerry NeedleArts.  And I surprised an old co-worker of mine by sending her the boy version model for her miracle baby, Noah.

If you'd like to get this pattern, just click here for a list of places to purchase from.

Until the next time...Happy Stitching!

Stitch From Stash - June through September 2016 Recaps

OK, I'll make this short, sweet & to the point catching you up on the last 4 months of my stash diet.

Stitch From Stash - June 2016 Recap

Opening Balance = ($53.77)
Finishes = $15.00
Purchases = $10.22
Balance Forward = ($48.99)

Finishes
February Patchwork Pincushion = $5.00
Warholesque Family Piece (Zach) = $5.00 
Little Hands, Tiny Feet (boy version) = $5.00
 
Purchases
Fabric = $10.22
 
I'm actually quite impressed with myself, considering June is the month that my LNS (local needlework shop) has it's anniversary sale, and I managed to keep my spending under control. 
 

Stitch From Stash - July 2016 Recap

Opening Balance = ($48.99)
Finishes = $1.00
Purchases = $1.25
Balance Forward = ($49.24)

Finishes
Christmas Ornament = $1.00
 
Purchases
Floss = $1.25

I did purchase 2 pieces of fabric from the Picture This Plus Christmas in July sale, but that won't count towards purchases until it ships and is charged to my credit card.  I'd better get busy stitching to offset those dollars!!
 

Stitch From Stash - August 2016 Recap

Opening Balance = ($49.24)
Finishes = $15.00
Purchases = $4.27
Balance Forward = ($38.51)

Finishes
Irish Wolfhound Silhouette = $5.00
Little Hands, Tiny Feet (girl version) = $5.00
Moose Silhouette = $5.00
 
Purchases
Kreinik braid = $3.17
Floss = $1.10
 

Stitch From Stash - September 2016 Recap

Opening Balance = ($38.51)
Finishes = $1.00
Purchases = $0 !!!
Balance Forward = ($37.51)

Finishes
Leaf button magnets = $1.00

Purchases
Not. One. Single. Thing!  :)









Not the progress I'd like to see, but at least my negative balance is shrinking and not growing.

Until the next time...Happy Stitching!

Moose Silhouette Cross Stitch Pattern

Today I'll be sharing my Moose Silhouette.  This particular design was requested by Shelby, who follows my Facebook page, as something to stitch that would match her kitchen decor.   I stitched my model using DMC #315 on a 25 count Lugana fabric in "Mushroom" by Zweigert. 

If you're interested in this design, you can purchase it at any of these places.

Until the next time...Happy Stitching!

Irish Wolfhound Silhuette Cross Stitch Pattern

I've been remiss in posting here for quite awhile.  My only excuse is after spending all day on the computer at my full-time job, I have zero desire to be on the computer nights and weekends.  I pretty much turn on my laptop at home 2 or maybe 3 times a month anymore.  And since I've released a few new patterns in the past couple of months, I'm going to spread out the posts over several days so I'm not bogging down anyone's email that subscribes to notifications.



Today I'll be sharing my Irish Wolfhound Silhouette.  This particular design was requested by Anita from Stitches From the Heart in San Antonio, TX while I was at their stitching camp in March.  It was a joy to stitch.  I stitched my model using DMC #645 on a 28 count Lugana fabric in "Haven" by Picture This Plus.  I loved this fabric so much, I plan on buying more to use with future designs!

If you're interested in this design, you can purchase it at any of these places.

Until the next time...Happy Stitching!

Stitchnmomma's Shirts - Cross Stitch T-Shirts

In an effort to continue building the Stitchnmomma brand, last weekend I launched a t-shirt shop that will contain quite a few of my stitched designs (Modern Dictionary series & some of my quotes) along with just some other general fun shirts.  Most everything will be related to cross stitch, but there will be some other fun designs.

I plan on adding 2 or 3 new designs each weekend.  In addition, whenever I release a new cross stitch design that can easily be converted to a t-shirt, I will add the shirt to my shop at the same time.

As of Sunday 06/26/16, these are the designs currently available:

Each design will be available in a variety of shirt styles, colors and sizes.  There will also be stickers available to match each design.  If you're interested in getting one or more of these shirts, simply click HERE to go to my shop.

As always, thanks for looking and Happy Stitching!

Patchwork Pin Cushions Cross Stitch Pattern #4

Oh my, I have no clue where my mind was at last weekend.  I released the pattern through all my online venues, and forgot to add it to my blog so everyone would know it's now available.  Sheesh!

This pattern contains January (a winter them) and February (a Valentine theme).
 
The patterns provide the information on the appropriate buttons.  And as an added bonus, the printed copies of the patterns include step-by-step finishing instructions.  Unfortunately there's no way for me to provide those same instructions with the instant download version available through Patterns Online.

If these designs are something that interest you, you can locate a retailer here.   

My work life outside of Stitchnmomma has been extremely busy the pasts several months.  Please don't fear, I did NOT stop this series in the middle.  All 12 months will be done, I'm just running slightly behind.  Or as a fellow designer told me, I'm ahead of schedule for next year, LOL!

If you're stitching any of these lovely pieces, feel free to share pics of them on my Facebook page or even join our group that's also on Facebook, where ladies share their WIP and finished project pics. 

Until the next time...Happy Stitching!

Stitch & Bitch Club Official Member

In my continued efforts to build the Stitchnmomma "empire" and try to keep up with the big dogs of the cross stitch industry (who will remain nameless), I've decided to create some fun & frivolous t-shirts.  They may be centered around our craft/hobby or they may just be something totally off the wall.

Without further ado, here's the first one...

The t-shirts will only be printed if the minimum order is met.  This option will be available to order for the net 14 days (through July 4th).  If you're interested in getting one, here's the link...
https://teespring.com/stitch-bitch-club-official-m#pid=370&cid=6534&sid=front


Until the next time...Happy Stitching!

Stitch From Stash - May 2016 Recap

Oh boy, I could have done better.

Opening Balance = ($51.66)
Finishes = $5.00
Purchases = $7.11
Balance Forward = ($53.77)


Finishes
March Patchwork Pincushion = $5.00
 
Such a sad state of affairs.  Only one small finish this month.  I have several others that are almost complete, if I could just get my stitching mojo back into full swing.  Oh well, there's always June.

Purchases
Floss = $1.32
Scissors = $5.75
 
My purchases were small, but still more than my finishes.  I had to pick up a couple of skeins of floss for pieces I'm working on.  And then I just had to get these awesome purple stork scissors to put my cute little scissor fob on that was part of my Just Desserts:  Grape Punch design.  They go so perfectly together!

 

I passed on a lot of Memorial Day sales that were going on in the month of May.  June is the annual anniversary sale at my local shop.  As of right now I plan on possibly buying a couple skeins of floss and that's it.  I *need* to start doing better on my stash diet!!!

Until the next time...Happy Stitching!

Free Money for Shopping...YES PLEASE!

OK, so I normally don't post about non-stitching related stuff on my blog. However, I have to make an exception here.  And technically it can be stitching related.

One of my friends sent me a link to a company called Ebates.  I had heard about it before, but never checked it out.  She's been using it for awhile now and gets money back each quarter.  They have over 2,000 stores linked on their site.  The way it works is those stores pay Ebates to bring them customers.  I figured I was doing some online shopping this morning anyway, so why not give it a try.

I signed up for the Ebates site and used their link for 6% cash back from Kohl's.  While I was on the Kohl's site I was still able to use my 20% off coupon as well as my Kohl's rewards when I checked out.  I waited about 1/2 hour and went back to my Ebates account.  Guess what was there waiting for me...an additional $6.48 in cash back rewards!  Yay!!  

The cash back rewards are paid on a quarterly basis.  So everything I purchase using their site between now and June 30th will get paid into my PayPal account on August 15th (you can also get a check, but too many things get lost in the mail here in LV, so I opted for PayPal).  If you're still skeptical, think about it like earning cash back rewards on your credit card.

And the best part for all us crafters... 
Hobby Lobby, JoAnn's and Michael's are all listed on their site!!  :)   
All you have to do to earn money back on your purchases is to link through your account on the Ebates site.  Can it get any easier than that?  And remember, you can still use all your normal coupons just like if you went straight to the store's site.

If you're interested in giving this a try, I've put a button along the right side bar of my page that will take you to the Ebates site where you can sign up.

Until the next time...Happy shopping & earning FREE money!


Editor's Note 6-5-16:
For those of you that may be skeptical, I got my first payment already via PayPal, and here's a photo of it to prove it.

 I wasn't expecting anything until August, but maybe with PayPal they pay out monthly vs. quarterly for checks.  I'll keep an eye on it and see.  :)

The Great Wilderness Afghan - Block #1 of 20 complete

You may remember back in December I talked about finally getting around to starting my Great Wilderness afghan after it being in my stash for a lifetime.  Well I'm happy to say, this past Tuesday evening I finished the first of 20 blocks.  Woohoo!!

The first block I chose to work on was what we all thought was a sun, until I started looking at the directions on the chart and it says to "backstitch the craters of the moon...", so my moon, 3,200+ stitches of various shades of yellows and creams, is now done.

And since I've made this my Sunday piece, and I'm typing this post on a Sunday for future publication, I'll be starting my next block later this afternoon once I'm done with all my chores.  That block will be the tops of some trees.  So, as the ladies in my Saturday stitching group pointed out yesterday, instead of complaining about all the yellow, now I'll get to complain about all the greens, LOL!  Hopefully with more stitching time on my agenda again, I'll be able to get this next block done quicker than the 4-1/2 months the moon took me to do.

Until the next update...Happy Stitching!

Stitch From Stash - April 2016 Recap

Phew!  I actually feel I had a "decent" month.  :)

Opening Balance = ($76.66)
Finishes = $25.00
Purchases = $0.00
Balance Forward = ($51.66)


Finishes
Llama Silhouette = $10.00
January Patchwork Pincushion = $5.00
Great Wilderness Afghan Block #1 = $10.00  
 
Now that my life and daily routine are getting back to "normal", I was able to get some stitching done this past month.  I finished the model for my Llama Silhouette (available for purchase), the model for my January Patchwork Pincushion (still be to released) and the first of 20 blocks on my Great Wilderness afghan (a post on that will be forthcoming).

I also finished my secret thread-a-day project, which will be a gift for someone.  Because it's a gift, none of the expense or the finish count in my stash diet.  I will share a picture of it on a future post after the recipient(s) have it.

Purchases
I am very happy to say I didn't spend a single penny on anything that would contribute to my stash.  Woohoo!!


Hopefully I can continue making progress out of the red during the month of May.

Until the next time...Happy Stitching!

Llama Silhouette Cross Stitch Silhouette

All you fellow bloggers out there...do you have a day where you KNOW you need to write something, but you just can't wrap your brain around it?  Well, I'm having one of those days.  Instead of sitting here wanting to bang my head against my laptop trying to thinking of something witty to say about my latest silhouette design, I'm going to keep it short, sweet and to the point.

This is my new silhouette design.  It is a llama.  I named him Llarry (yes, with 2 Ls and 2 Rs) while I was stitching him.  He was created using DMC #310 on 28 ct. "DaVinci" by Picture This Plus.

If you like him, you can buy him at any of these places.

Until the next time, when hopefully I'm felling more literary...Happy Stitching!

Stitch From Stash - March 2016 Recap

Oh March, why were you so mean to me?!?!

Opening Balance = ($21.76)
Finishes = $0!!!
Purchases = $54.90
Balance Forward = ($76.66)


Finishes
I have to honestly say, I don't remember when the last time was I had ZERO finishes for a month.  Not even a simple greeting card!  All I can say is work, travel, and the "kids" visiting me here in Vegas for 8 days left me basically no time for stitching.  I'm looking forward to getting back to "normal" in April and having more stitching & creative time again.


Purchases
I honestly don't know what happened.  I went to the Stitches From The Heart stitching camp/retreat in San Antonio and somehow when I got home there were some gorgeous Picture This Plus fabrics in my stitching bag and some money missing from my wallet.  Do you think I could have been sleep purchasing?  LOL!  

Honestly though, I was trying to hold off until the PTP Christmas in July sale for a re-stock, but saw some gorgeous fabrics I just had to have!  I picked up pieces of Orange Creme, Crystal Pickled and Phoenix.  They will be fabulous with future designs!  And to the lovely ladies at PTP...if you ever happen to read my blog, the designer wouldn't mind "sampling" some of your fabrics for you.  *cheesy grin*


Oh well, what can I say...I guess red is my color.  Someday I'll be in the black.  We'll just have to see how quickly I make it.  April is a new month and finishes WILL be completed to offset my spending.

Until the next time...Happy Stitching!