STITCHING-4-JOY

I am way due....

2012-03-07T14:26:00.000-07:00

.... for a new post, aren't I???

Hello friends ! It has been a while but here I am (since Christmas. Yikes !) I don't have much to say, other than life is good and I can't complain. I have been busy with work and life in general, but I've still found some time for stitching. I have finally finished my Spanish Mystery Sampler by Shakespeare's Peddler and I absolutely love it !!! I can't stop looking at it. I am getting ready to pin it and frame it.

I also have some new wallets that will be in my wallet blog very soon, and there are many more to come. Some pictures are below. Please enjoy the pictures and let me know what you think !!

Hola amigas !! Ha pasado un tiempo desde que escribí algo en este blog (desde Navidad !!). No tengo mucho nuevo que contar. La vida sigue y yo no me puedo quejar. He estado ocupada con el trabajo, familia, etc, pero he encontrado un poquito de tiempo para hacer punto de cruz. He terminado mi Spanish Mystery Sampler de Shakespeare's Peddler, y me encanta. Me queda enmarcarlo y encontrar un buen sitio en casa para colgarlo. Abajo podéis ver varias fotos del Sampler y de otras cositas que he estado haciendo.

Spanish Mystery Sampler

by Shakespeare's Peddler

Stitched on 40ct Light Vintage Examplar

with the over dyed cotton it asks for

In January I attended The Attic Symposium and it was lots of fun. I know many people have posted about it, so I won't bore you with all the details again, but I wanted to show you the cute pin cushion that Paulette from Plum Street Samplers designed for the class. Paulette is so very talented and I love this little guy and how it came out. I stained the fabric a bit with coffee (much to my friend Sherry's dismay :-).

En Enero fue a pasar el fin de semana a AZ y a participar en unas classed ofrecidas por una tienda maravillosa que se llama The Attic. Una de las instructoras fue Paulette de Plum Street Samplers y este es el pin cushion que diseñó para la clase. Paulette es una diseñadora encantadora y con mucho talento.

Right now I am working on another one of Paulette's designs called My Handworke and I had to stitch it because I love the verse in it. Take a look below:

Ahora mismo estoy bordando otro diseño de Paulette que me encanta. El verso es precioso....

And this is my progress on it. I almost have the border finished and I hope it will match !!

Casi he terminado el borde y espero que encaje !!

Our guild is having a couple of classes by Jackie DuPlessis from It's Fine-ally Finishedl. One of the classes is called Briar Rose Etui and there is some pre-stitching to do over one. Here is a picture of the finished Etui.

Nuestra asociación de punto de cruz ofrece una clase de la diseñadora Jackie DuPlessis (It's Fine-ally Finished) que se llama Briar Rose Etui. La clase requiere que llevemos el bordado. Abajo podéis ver una foto del diseño ya terminado y lo que yo llevo bordado. No es mucho, pero poco a poco....

Here is my progress so far. I tend to rebel against pre-stitching because I like to go at my own pace and I stress out when I have a deadline, but I guess I have to do it, since I paid for the class, right?

And finally, here are some new wallets that I'll be adding to my wallet blog soon. I have many more in the works, but not ready to show you yet... There are so many beautiful fabrics out there and I just want to buy them all !!! Enjoy...

I hope you enjoyed this post. Thanks so much for stopping by..... I do love to read your comments.

Esto es todo por hoy. Gracias por pasados por aquí, os agradezco todos vuestros comentarios :-) Un abrazo.

Madelyn's Stocking and Hi !

2011-12-15T20:31:00.000-07:00

Hello my friends !! It's been so long since I've posted something.... Life seems to spiral out of control around this time and it is hard to find the time to blog. I've continued to read your posts, though, so I feel I haven't lost touch with you.

Well, I should probably let the pictures do the talking, so keep looking and reading and I hope you enjoy !! It is good to be back :-)

On the stitching front, I haven't done as much as I would have liked to, but I managed to finish the Christmas stocking for my sweet Madelyn. I've also finished a cute Lizzie Kate Christmas ABCs and another little design that I stitched for my neighbor whose last name is Yule, but that I never framed. Yikes !!!

Hola mis queridas amigas. Cuanto tiempo sin oír nada de mi. Parece que mi vida pasa muy deprisa y apenas tengo tiempo de escribir un nuevo articulo para mi blog. Lo bueno es que sigo leyendo vuestros blogs, asi que no pierdo contacto con vosotras.

Bueno, voy a dejar que las fotos hablen por si mismas, asi que seguid mirando y leyendo. Espero que os guste todo. Me alegro de estar de vuelta.

No he tenido mucho tiempo para hacer punto de cruz, pero de alguna manera me he apañado para terminar una media para Madelyn. También he terminado Christmas ABCs de Lizzie Kate y otro proyecto pequeñito que bordé para mi vecina que se apellida Yule, pero que no he enmarcado todavía !!

I also had some time to decorate my home for Christmas. My husband loves Christmas (and so do I), so I got over my laziness and tried to go all the way. I've never shown any pictures before, so here you go:

También he tenido algo de tiempo para decorar mi casa para Navidad. A mi marido le encanta la Navidad (y a mi también), asi que me sacudo la gandulería y decoro, decoro y decoro. Aquí podéis ver unos detalles de mi casa.

One of the highlights of this year was my trip to Spain to my niece's wedding. It was wonderful to spend three weeks at home with my family and catch up. My mom's food is so yummy and I ate so very much. Now that my clothes don't fit, I do regret it. LOL !!!

Uno de los mejores momentos del año fue mi viaje a España para asistir a la boda de mi sobrina. Que maravilla poder pasar tres semanas en casa con mi familia. Comí todas las cosas buenas que prepara mi madre y más. Ahora que la ropa no me cabe me arrepiento !!!

My niece Amanda went from this beautiful little girl.......

Mi sobrina Amanda paso de ser esta niña tan chiquita........

To this beautiful bride..... (where has time gone???) (blurry picture, sorry)

A esta novia tan preciosa...... (como ha pasado el tiempo) (la foto esta un poco turbia)

She started crying even before the wedding started !!!! So cute...

Empezó a llorar antes de que empezara la boda !!!!

My mom and dad :-) Love them !!

Mi padre y mi madre :-) Cuanto los quiero !!

My whole family: mom, dad, brothers, sister and me. I am so blessed to have this family

Mi familia: mama, papa, hermanos, hermana y yo. La verdad es que Dios me ha bendecido con una familia maravillosa.

Of course, I've been busy making some new wallets and fulfilling orders. I have lots of new fabric but haven't had enough time to make the fabric into stitch wallets yet !! Below are some of the recent ones. If there are any that you can't live without, just let me know :-). Check all of them here

También he estado ocupada con mis carteritas. Aquí podeis ver algunas de las nuevas. Tengo mucha tela preciosa y muy poco tiempo para hacerlas !!!

Here is Rio with the Navy colors. Well, I truly couldn't help this...........GO NAVY BEAT ARMY !!! (I love you my army friends).

Y mi perro Rio, con los colores de la Marina. El equipo de fútbol de la Academia Naval (Naval Academy) venció al equipo del Ejercito de Tierra (Army), asi que siendo de familia marina, teníamos que celebrarlo.

And this is for today. I am not sure when I'll post again, but I'll be keeping an eye on all your beautiful projects. Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving a comment.

Y esto es todo !! No se cuando escribiré otra vez, pero ya os sigo en vuestros blogs. Gracias por pasaros por aquí y por vuestros comentarios.

MERRY CHRISTMAS !!!

FELIZ NAVIDAD !!!!

Fall is here and Christmas is coming

2011-09-12T16:36:00.001-06:00

......so I thought I would show you some of my new Stitch Wallets. They are made with fabrics in fall colors and even a little peek of Christmas. If you are interested in any of them, you can go to my other blog Stitching-4-Joy Shoppe for information on how to purchase. They make great gifts for stitcher friends and family !!! Christmas is around the corner (unbelievable, isn't it?), and I'll be out of the country most of November, so don't delay !! Let me know how you like them.

Some Halloween for you all ....

And then, there are some fall colors, aren't they pretty? I love fall !!

And a little peek of some Christmas wallets. Aren't these perfect to hold your Christmas projects?

Stay tunned because more are coming. Thanks so much for stopping by and for your interest in my wallets. I appreciate your business very much !!

A bit more of the same....and Hawaii

2011-08-26T17:22:00.003-06:00

Well, hello there !!!

Long time no see :-) I don't really have any excuses for my lack of posting, other than laziness. I really have not been in much of a blogging mood, but I certainly have been reading all of your blogs and admiring your beautiful work.

Well, it seems unbelievable that the summer is almost over by now. The highlight of my summer was our trip to Hawaii for a week. It was truly a blessing to have that time off and it couldn't have come at a better time. It was peaceful and relaxing. Breakfasts with an ocean view, days at the beach just reading and resting, lots of friends to catch up with, my niece's company and time with my dear husband. The highlight of my trip was swiming with the dolphins !!! Oh my gosh, what amazing creatures... I almost cried when my hour with them was up. So precious.... I can close my eyes and I am back in the water with them. So amazing, and something I'll never forget.

Well, I wish I had tons of new things to show you, but I don't, really. I have continued to work on my two wip's: I Sigh Not For Beauty and Spanish Mystery sampler, as I am determined to finish them before I start something new. But I've also found a little bit of time to work on a couple of little things. Below are some pictures:

This is a design by Rovaris that I though was finished in such a clever way, isn't it?

This is my progress so far. It is a very easy stitch and can be done almost anywhere and at any time. Cute !!

Another thing I've finished and I don't think I've shown you is the little Hornbook by CHS. I truly enjoyed this guy and I have the hornbook frame all ready for it. I just need to pin it and frame it. I did't use the colors it asks for because they were not very colorful and they all seemed to blend together in a too boring way, so I chose my own. It is stitched with NPS and I don't remember the color of the linen !!

Here is my progress on the Spanish Mystery Sampler. I absolutely love this piece and I can't wait to finish it. I am enjoying it so very much. I love that red color in the middle of it, don't you guys? I think it gives it character :-)

And here is my I Sigh Not For Beauty....I heard from Fran, the designer of I Sigh Not to let me know that the fabric I am using is not the one she actually chose for the sampler. So I think there was some mix up between me and the store where I ordered the fabric from. Oh well..... I am not going to let that bother me anymore because I really love the sampler.

Below is my name and date stitched the correct way. I initially stitched it and when I took the linen out of my q-snap, I realized I had stitched my name upside down !!!! Certainly not one of my finest moments. Yikes !! I had to frog everything and stitch again.......over one !!

Here are some pictures of my trip to Hawaii. I've taken some pictures of Hawaiian quilts for you quilters out there. Aren't they beautiful??

This was the view from our resort room. To wake up every day to this..... can it get any better???

My husband and I on our way to the Luau :-). I wish the man had kept his eyes open because I think this picture is beautiful with the sunset in the back.

Part of the Luau....

My niece Marina, hubby Brent and I

This is my niece Marina stitching at our favorite breakfast place

And I left the best for last !!! The sweet, sweet dolphins that I absolutely loved. What I joy it was to jump in the water with them.

This is it for today...... Thank you kindly for stopping by, I appreciate each and every one of your comments. Enjoy the rest of the summer !!

Updates and Scorpion Suckers

2011-05-22T16:13:00.010-06:00

Hello friends !!

Has it really been over a month since I last posted??? Time seems to go by so fast. I have been stitching, but nothing new, really. I've tried to focus on my SAL for I Sigh Not For Beauty as well as the Spanish Mystery Sampler. Mind you, I have been acquiring new charts and fabrics for my stash non stop (you can see pictures below), but only stitching the two mentioned. Oh, and also working on a Shepherd's Bush Christmas stocking for a special little girl in my life.

So nothing new happening, other than the fact that I'll be going to Hawaii for a week in July. But that is not the best part, the best part is that my niece Marina is flying all the way from Spain to spend some time with us and she'll go to Hawaii too !!!!! I am so excited to have somebody from home come and visit. Marina likes to stitch too, so I can see us having some cold drink by some nice corner of the resort we are staying in just stitching and talking. And it even gets better, because my long time dream of swimming with dolphins is becoming true on Friday July 22nd !!!!!!! I am so excited I can hardly wait. I have always loved dolphins and since I was a little girl have wanted to jump in the water with them. What incredible animals they are.. It will be a great experience.

Well, enough of my dreams because you come over here to see some stitching, right? So you scroll down to see pictures and enjoy !!! If you don't think my work is that interesting, please jump over to Katrina and Siobhan's blogs to see the beautiful AotH all finished !!!! They both did such a beautiful job.

Hola a todas !!!

Parece mentira que haya pasado mas de un mes desde la ultima vez que escribí algo en mi blog. He estado haciendo punto de cruz, pero nada nuevo. Me he dedicado al Sampler I Sigh Not for Beauty y también al Spanish Mystery Sampler. Por supuesto, he estado comprando nuevas telas y diseños (abajo podéis ver algunas fotos) y también estoy bordando una de las medias de Shepherd's Bush para una niñita muy especial en mi vida.

Otra cosa que os quería contar es que me voy de vacaciones a Hawaii en Julio, pero esa no es la mejor parte, la mejor parte es que mi sobrina Marina se va a venir con nosotros. Estoy muy ilusionada y feliz de que alguien de casa venga a visitarme finalmente !!! Ya nos veo a las dos en algún rincón de Hawaii bebiendonos algo fresco y haciendo punto de cruz. Y hay algo aun mejor.... mi sueño de nadar con los delfines se va a hacer realidad finalmente el 22 de julio !!!!! Me encantan los delfines y desde hace muchos años he querido nadar con ellos, y al fin lo voy a conseguir. Me hace muchísima ilusión.

Bueno ya basta, que al fin y al cabo, me visitais para ver el punto de cruz, verdad? Abajo hay unas cuantas fotos de mi trabajo.

Below is my Spanish Mystery Sampler. I really LOVE IT !!! The more I stitch it the more I love it. Such a beautiful design.

And this is my progress on I Sigh Not For Beauty. It is a nice stitch too, but I am still not loving the fabric at all and I wish I had chosen a different one. I used the one the chart calls for, but I really think the picture on the cover of the chart uses a different one because it is a much warmer color. I wonder why the chart asks for this one.

Y este es mi I Sign Not For Beauty. Es facil de bordar, pero no estoy muy enamorada de la tela y me arrepiento de no haber elegido otro color.

This is the first of the Shepherd's Bush Christmas Stockings I am stitching. This one and another one will go to two very special little girls in my life. They are easy to stitch, but kind of big stitches. I am used to stitch on 40 ct a lot, so it feels a bit weird to stitch on this big count.

Esta es la primera de las dos medias de Navidad (¿como las llamamos en español? ¿medias de Navidad?) de Shepherd's Bush que estoy bordando. Son faciles de bordar, pero los puntos son tan grandes que me resulta un poco incomodo. Estoy acostumbrada a bordar en lino pequeño y estos puntos tan grandotes no me gustan mucho, pero el diseño es precioso y muy divertido.

Here are some sampler charts that I bought !!! I love them all and I know it will be hard to decide which one I start first. They are: Helen Vertue, Jane Atkinson, Country Life Sampler (I love this one), Ann Tarbox, Jenny Bean and Garden Fair (I love this one too !!!)

Abajo podeis ver algunos de los diseños que he comprado y que estoy impaciente por empezar. Algunos van a llevarme mucho tiempo !!! Son: Helen Vertue, Jane Atkinson, Country Life Sampler (este me encanta), Ann Tarbox, Jenny Bean y Garden Fair (este tambien me encanta). Todos son reproducciones de samplers históricos.

My husband went to Texas and below is the gift he brought me. Girls, whatever happened to diamonds !!!! He brought me a Scorpion Sucker........ literally. You can see the ~~sucker~~ scorpion inside the candy !!! Is that gross or what??? No way I am eating this baby... Honey, I love you, but.....get a clue !!!

Mi marido fue a Texas en viaje de negocios y este es el regalo que me trajo. Chicas, ¿¿donde están los diamantes???. Me trajo un chupachup con un autentico escorpión incluido !!!! Dentro del chupachup podeis ver el escorpión. Que cosa mas asquerosa. Y la gente se come esto !!!!

Well, I do thank you for stopping by and taking the time to read my post. Keep checking in as I am planning on a nice give away soon. Also, make sure you check my wallets here: www.stitching-4-joyshoppe.blogspot.com. There are some new ones and there will be many more soon !!!

Os agradezco que hayáis pasado por aquí una vez mas. Espero que lo hayáis pasado bien. Os deseo una buena semana a todas !!

Enjoy your week and stitch !!!

XOXO Natalia

Little By Little

2011-03-29T17:50:00.005-06:00

Hello friends !!

It is good to be here again !! Even though I haven't posted much, I have been faithfully reading blogger and I really have enjoyed seeing all the WIP you guys have going, all the beautiful samplers, all the "up for a challenge" pieces.... You guys inspire me to stitch and stitch more and more and I have added some wonderful charts to my wish list. I thought I would do a short post and share with you my WIP.

I have been mostly working on two projects since the beginning of the year. One of them is I Sigh Not for Beauty SAL. I had to frog most of it and stitch it again !!! That was not fun, but by now I am caught up on it. I was not sure about this sampler when I first started, but the more I stitch it, the more I like it. Below you can see a couple of pictures.

Hola amigas !!

Me alegro de estar aqui otra vez. Aunque no he publicado nada recientemente, si que he estado siguiendo vuestros blogs y admirando las cosas tan bonitas que hacéis. Muchas de vosotras hacéis cosas preciosas de patchwork. También me encantan vuestros proyectos de punto de cruz. Aquí tenéis un par de cosas en las que he estado trabajando desde principios de año.

El primero es un Sampler que se llama I Sigh Not For Beauty SAL. Lo he tenido que deshacer varias veces casi por completo y volverlo a hacer !!! Agggg que cabreo !! Pero bueno, ya estoy donde estaba y cada vez me gusta mas. Abajo podéis ver un par de fotos.

I Sigh Not For Beauty by C Street Sampler

Stitched on 40ct Belfast Dirty Linen with my own conversion to NPS

My other WIP is the Spanish Mystery Sampler. I absolutely love this sampler and I am truly enjoying stitching it even though I had to frog too !!!! But the colors are beautiful, don't you think? It is hard to take a picture of the whole sampler because it is so big. Not the greatest quality photo, but at least you get an idea :-)

Mi otro proyecto es el Spanish Mystery Sampler. Me encanta y estoy disfrutando mucho de el, aunque también he tenido que deshacer una parte !!! Los colores son preciosos. Es difícil hacer una foto del sampler completo porque es muy grande. Abajo podéis verlo.

Spanish Mystery Sampler by Shakespeare's Peddler

Stitched on 40ct Vintage Examplar by Lakeside

Using the Sampler Threads it calls for.

My stitch wallets have been selling nicely too !! Thanks to all of you that have made that possible. I am working on a separate blog dedicated exclusively to them. I have added a couple of new ones to the collection and I have many more that I am making, so check in periodically.

I hope you have a great rest of the week. Thank you for stopping by and for your comments, they mean the world to me.

Mis carteras se van vendiendo muy bien. Gracias a todas las que habéis comprado alguna. Estoy creando un blog exclusivamente para ellas. He añadido un par de carteras nuevas y sigo haciendo muchas mas, así que pasaos por aquí de vez en cuando.

Espero que la semana os trate bien. Muchas gracias por pasaros por aquí y por vuestros comentarios.

A wonderful Saturday

2011-02-20T18:04:00.013-07:00

Hello blogger friends !!

I hope you are having a wonderful three day weekend !! I love three day weekends... I feel I have so much time to stitch, but of course time flies by anyway and I never accomplish as much as I would like.

Hola amigas !!!

Espero que hayais pasado un buen fin de semana. Aqui en EEUU, tenemos fiesta mañana, asi que es un fin de semana largo. Me encantan los fines de semana largos, siempre pienso que tengo tanto tiempo para hacer punto de cruz, pero el tiempo siempre pasa demasiado rapido y nunca hago todo lo que tenia planeado :-)

Yesterday I had my stitch group at my house for quite a few hours. I have come to love these women and I really enjoy our time together. There is always plenty of conversation and laughter. Last week was a hard one for me, so they decided to cheer me up with a most wonderful gift. You can see the pictures below. I got a Vera Bradley shopping bag....

Ayer tuve en mi casa el grupo de punto de cruz del que formo parte. Pasamos el dia juntas y lo pasamos muy bien. Somos unas seis mujeres de cuarenta a sesenta y pico años y la verdad es que las quiero a todas muchísimo. Siempre tenemos algo de que hablar y reirnos. La semana pasada fue un poco dura para mi, así que mis amigas decidieron animarme y para eso, me compraron un regalo precioso: Una bolsa de compra de Vera Bradley:

...and this little..... what should I call it? box??? The name is All Wrapped Up. It is so great and can be used for make up, stitching supplies, jewelry.... so many different things. It is really versatile and I love the fabric on it. I am so touched by my friend's generosity and thoughtfulness. I love you guys !!

.... y este otro "artefacto" que se puede utilizar como joyero, bolsa de maquillaje, para botones, agujas, etc. Es muy versátil y me encanta la tela.

I also go this beautiful kit of the Eliza Seaman Sampler as a gift from my sweet friend Sherry. This chart is out of print by now and it is from the Textile Collection of the Detroit Historical Museum. Eliza was the daughter of a physician and was inoculated with smallpox serum, the first vaccination in America !!! Isn't it interesting? I love it and will be stitching it soon. Thank you Sherry !!

Mi amiga Sherry me regalo este Sampler. Es un Sampler de la colección del Museo De Textiles de Detroit. Eliza Seaman era hija de un medico y fue vacunada contra la viruela. La primera vacuna en America fue la suya !!! Interesante, ¿verdad? Gracias Sherry !!

Below is a picture of Chessie and Me Birth Sampler that I stitched for two very special little girls in my life: Madelyn and Isabela. I sent it to have it framed by Jill Rensel (first time) and I just love what she did with it. If you have never had anything framed by Jill you have to. She is the nicest person and worked with me to get this framed very quickly so I could give it as a gift.

Esta es una foto del Birth Sampler the Chessie and Me que borde para dos niñas muy especiales en mi vida: Madelyn y Isabela. Lo mande a enmarcar a una tienda bastante famosa aqui en EEUU y me encanta el producto final.

Stitched on 40ct Sand Dune by Lakeside

with the over dyed floss it calls for

Do you remember how I showed you my progress on I Sigh Not For Beauty? It looked something like this:

Os acordais de que en mi ultimo post os enseñe lo avanzada que iba con mi I Sigh Not For Beauty? Este era el aspecto que tenia:

Well, now it looks something like this !!!!!! Yeah, The Frog Man came to visit and I had to undo pretty much all I had stitched. I made the tiniest mistake on the border and that totally ruined it. Oh how I hated having to do that.... Up until now, I'd only had to frog very little parts of my work, but now I certainly belong to the Frog Club. LOL !!!

Pues ahora esta asi !!!!!! Si, cometi un error en el borde justo al empezar y me toco desacerlo practicamente todo. Que cabreo !!! Un error tan pequeñito lo estropeo todo.

You must also remember how I told you that my Angel Band Sampler was the first sampler I had stitched, but actually that was not correct. Below is a picture of my very first sampler. It comes from some stitching magazine (I don't remember which one) and it is so badly stitched, really. I can see all the threads that I crossed in the back and it was stretched so crooked. Someday I will take it apart and stretch it myself. I do love the frame though. It has a special place in my heart too !!

También os acordareis de que os dije que mi Angel Band Sampler fue mi primer sampler, pero de hecho eso es incorrecto. Abajo podéis ver una foto de mi primer Sampler. Lo borde tan mal que podéis ver todos los hilos en la parte de atras. Que desastre.... ademas la tienda que lo enmarco, lo hizo todo torcido :-( Algún día lo tengo que deshacer y enmarcarlo todo de nuevo.

Here is another of my earlier stitched pieces. It is stitched in good old Aida fabric !!! I love the colors though.

Esta es otra de mis primeras piezas. Bordada en tela de Aida !!! Me encantan los colores.

I finished "Take Joy" from Shepherd's Bush and put it in this great little box. Isn't it cute?

Tambien termine "Take Joy" de Shepherd's Bush y lo he puesto en esta cajita. A que ha quedado bonito?

I am part of the Stacy Nash Club that Country Sampler offers. Stacy designs something exclusively for the Club and it is mailed to us every quarter. I love Stacy Nash's designs and this is the one for the first quarter. I only have it stitched, not antiqued or finished yet, so I'll show it again soon.

Soy miembro del Club de Stacy Nash que ofrece Country Sampler. Stacy diseña algo exclusivo para el club cada tres meses y la tienda nos lo manda todo por correo. Este es el primero de todos. Solo lo tengo bordado, me queda envejecerlo y coserlo como un cojin chiquito.

My stitch wallets have been selling nicely and I wanted to thank you all that bought them from me. I have gotten great feedback from all of you and I am so grateful and happy that you like them. I thank you, thank you, thank you for your business. It means the world to me. Keep checking, there are wallets being added every week !!

This is all for today !!! I am always so happy when you stop by. For once I am caught up with my blogger reader and I have enjoyed seeing all your work. There are some works of art out there.... Many of you are such talented stitchers and I forever admire what you do.

Esto es todo por hoy !!! Me encanta que os paseis por mi blog y os agradezco vuestros comentarios. Me encanta ver vuestro trabajo tambien. Hay verdaderas obras de arte por el mundo de los blogs....y muchas de vosotras tenéis verdadero talento y mi admiración.

Till next time

Hasta la próxima.

A bit of this and a bit of that

2011-01-30T12:40:00.017-07:00

Hello blogging friends !!

I hope you are having a restful and enjoyable Sunday. I am showing a couple of my finishes and some things I am in the middle of.

I don't know if you remember my post a few months ago where I showed you some progress I had made on my Angel Band Sampler. Well, I have finally finished and it is framed and hanging on my wall !!! I love it and I have to tell you that it is my very first sampler, so it will always have a place of honor among my samplers :-) I decided to frame it very simply because I didn't want anything taking away from it. Here is it:

Hola amigas !!!

Espero que estéis pasando un maravilloso Domingo, descansando y disfrutando de vuestro tiempo libre. Os voy a enseñar un par de cosas que he terminado y otras en la que estoy trabajando.

No se si os acordais que hace unos meses os mostré mi Angel Band Sampler a medias. Pues ya esta terminado, enmarcado y colgado en la pared. Me encanta !!! Este es mi primer Sampler y siempre va a tener un sitio de honor entre todos mis Samplers. Lo he enmarcado de forma muy sencilla porque no queria que el marco le quitara atención al bordado. Aqui esta:

Below you can see a detail of the frame.

Abajo podeis ver un detalle del marco.

This is the top section of the sampler up close.

Esta es la parte de arriba del Sampler.

This is the middle section of it up close. I realized, once I had it all framed that I had not stitched the hand from the angel on the left !!!! So that is my accidental way of making it a bit different and personal, because I was certainly not going to undo everything to fix it, so the poor angel is handless !!

Esta es la parte central. Si os fijais bien vereis que se me olvido bordar la mano del angel de la izquierda !!! Esta es mi manera accidental de hacer este Sampler distinto y personal, porque de ninguna manera lo voy a deshacer todo para corregirlo, asi que el pobre angel esta manco.

Below is the bottom part of the sampler and my favorite of all. It is stitched over three threads and I just love the richness of it with all the satin stitches. Love the acorns at the bottom too.

Esta es la parte de abajo y mi favorita. Se bordo sobre tres hilos y me encanta la riqueza del satinado. Las bellotas abajo del todo me encantan !!

I am also participating in a couple of SALs.... Below is the one from With My Needle. It is I Sigh Not For Beauty from C Street Samplers... So far it is an easy stitch and I am all caught up... I am not sure yet about it: the fabric, the colors.... I am going to have to see more of it to decide if I love it or just like it.

Estoy participando en un par de SALs... Abajo podeis ver el primero de With My Needle. Se llama I Sigh Not For Beauty y la diseñadora es de C Street Samplers. De momento ha sido facil de bordar. No estoy segura todavia de si me gusta, voy a tener que bordar un poquito mas para decidir si me encanta.

My other SAL is the Spanish Mystery Sampler from Shakespeare's Peddler that The Attic is doing. This is a huge baby and I am not caught up at all. But I started it a bit late in the month. I am very excited about it, and can't wait to have more stitched. I've got to tell you that the little flowers in the border are tedious, tedious, tedious.. See below.

Mi otro SAL es el Spanish Mystery Sampler de Shakespeare's Peddler. Este proyecto es enorme, pero precioso. Tengo que deciros que las flores del borde son muy pesadas de bordar.

Here are the little tedious flowers. Yikes !! I can't wait to get more color in the sampler... It looks kind of sad right now.

Aqui están las florecitas. También tengo que añadir un poco de color porque de momento tiene un aspecto bastante triste.

I had the chance to take a finishing class at my LNS last Saturday and here is the final product. I had this little guy stitched for years and I am glad I finally put it to good use. I finished it into a box with a bow and all. Take a look.

El sábado pasado tuve ocasión de ir a una clase para aprender a hacer una caja a la que se le añade un bordado de punto. Aquí lo podéis ver con el lazo y todo.

Here you can see the bow. I left it on it, but I am not sure about it. I am not much of a bow person. What do you think?

Aqui esta el lazo. Lo he dejado como esta, pero no estoy segura de si me gusta o no. Yo no soy muy de lazo. ¿Que os parece?

Below is an acorn I found at Anthropologie. Do you guys know this store? It is quite great and they have a mixture of clothing, kitchen ware, bedroom stuff.... Just different. Beautiful fabrics.. So I walked in one day and there was this little guy staring me in the face and I thought, oh I have to have it, but what can I do with it??

Abajo podeis ver una bellota (es una bellota, ¿verdad?) que encontré en una tienda aquí en Colorado. La tienda se llama Anthropologie y tiene cosas muy divertidas, desde ropa a utensilios de cocina, ropa de cama... Pues fui a la tienda hace unas semanas y esta bellota me llamaba y me llamaba, asi que la compre pensando que podría hacer con ella.

And this is what I did. I made it into the tiniest pin cushion. Isn't it the cutest thing? I love it !!

Y esto es lo que hice. Un pin cushion chiquito. ¿A que es adorable? Me encanta !!

And finally, if you read my last post, you know that I have been making some Stitch Wallets and that they are for sale. Go check them out here and let me know if you are interested in any of them. They are perfect to keep your projects or as gifts. I think the size is perfect, as it allows you to carry them by themselves or in your bags. I keep adding new ones very regularly and below are some of the new ones.

Y finalmente, si leísteis mi ultimo blog post, sabréis que he estado haciendo carteras de tela para guardar los proyectos de punto de cruz y que las estoy vendiendo. Las podéis ver aquí. Son perfectas para guardar proyectos o como regalos. El tamaño es perfecto porque permite llevarlas solas o meterlas en una bolsa. Son muy divertidas..

To all of you that have bought one from me, I do thank you kindly. I have gotten great feedback from all of you and really I appreciate that. I hope you will love them and enjoy them.

Well my friends... this is it for today. This was a long post for me !! Thanks so much for stopping by... I appreciate your time and wish you a wonderful rest of your Sunday.

Pues esto es todo queridas amigas. Muchas gracias por pasaros por aquí. Espero que paséis un Domingo maravilloso y una buena semana entrante.

Starting a new thing !!

2011-01-21T22:14:00.000-07:00

Hello everybody !!

Can you believe that January is almost over? Where does time go?

I hope you all started the year very well with health and lots of stitching. I know many of you have joined this Crazy Challenge and I have enjoyed watching all your projects and your progress. I have kept busy and haven't really set any goals for myself. I figured I will just stitch what I feel like when I feel like. For somebody like me, that is kind of a liberating thought :-). I have a couple of finishes but I will show you those in my next post.

In this post I just wanted to let you know about my cute Stitch Wallets that I make myself. It has been so much fun to find fabrics that complement each other and finish them as little project bags. I just wanted to show them to you and tell you that they are all for sale. I use Moda fabric on most of them (sell price is $28.00 plus shipping), and I also have a few that have been finished with authentic Vera Bradley fabric and a complementary fabric (the price for these are $38.00 plus shipping). If you want me to make you one with your own fabric, please let me know (the price then will be $18.00). The dimensions are 13w x 10h approximately. On my sidebar there is also a button with a link that has all the information on prices and how to contact me if you are interested. You can also click here to find that information. I think they make beautiful gifts and they are perfect to keep your stitching projects. Below are some pictures of the ones I've made. Please let me know if you like them...

This stitch wallet has been made with Very Bradley fabric in Make Me Blush and a complementary Moda fabric.

Detail of the inside

This is what the back looks like:

All the ones below are made with different Moda fabrics. you can see the details of the front and the inside.

The stitch wallet below is stitch with BBD Moda fabric:

I think this one is so much fun !! The fabric I used is Moda Java... I love coffee !!

These are all for now. I hope you like them. I'll come back soon with a new post on my stitch finishes. Until then, you take good care. Thanks so much for stopping by....

Happy New Year !!!

2011-01-01T12:04:00.010-07:00

Hello friends,

Happy New Year !!!

2010 has been a good year for me and mine. God has blessed us with good health, love, work, lots of stitching and plenty more. We have had some serious challenges also and it seems like uncertainty is always a part of our journey, but we can do everything with God by our side and, at the end of the year, we are all together and well. What else can I ask for?

I would say that the hardest part of 2010 was the passing away of my favorite aunt Carmen on Christmas day. She was 96 years old. She was a stoic woman with great integrity, hard worker and a lover of her family. She gave me some of the happiest moments of my childhood and for that I will always be grateful. Those memories will always stay with me. It is truly a bittersweet feeling as I know she had no quality of life in her final years and now she is in God's arms and whole again, but at the same time, I will miss her terribly and I feel like a big part of my life has ended with her. It is comforting to me to know that I will see her again in due time.

Hola amigas,

Feliz Año Nuevo !!!

El año 2010 se ha portado bien conmigo y con los mios. Dios nos ha bendecido con salud, amor, trabajo, punto de cruz y mucho mas. Tambien hemos tenido unos cuantos retos y parece que la incertidumbre siempre forma parte de la jornada. Pero, se que podemos hacer todo con Dios que nos fortalece. Al final del año, estamos todos bien y con salud, ¿que mas se puede pedir?

Lo mas duro del año 2010 fue la muerte de mi tía Carmen el día de Navidad, que era su fiesta favorita. Mi tía tenia 96 años cuando murió. Siempre fue una mujer estoica y con gran integridad, trabajadora y dedicada a su familia. Ella me dio muchos de los mejores momentos de mi infancia y por eso siempre le estaré agradecida. Siempre llevare esos recuerdos conmigo. Su muerte trae un sentimiento dulce y amargo a la vez. Dulce porque a su edad, ella ya no tenia calidad de vida y ahora esta en los brazos de Dios sana y contenta; amargo porque la vamos a echar mucho de menos y siento que una gran etapa de mi vida termina con ella. Pero me conforta saber que la volveré a ver en un tiempo.

Aunt Carmen (Tia Carmen)

June 1914 - Dec 2010

As for my stitching year, it was not as productive as I would have liked, but I really enjoyed every single project I worked on. For 2011 I plan on not buying so many new charts and stitching from my stash instead. (I can already hear my friend Katrina laughing out loud at me). I will try anyway... !!!

I have so enjoyed blogging and getting to know you all. I have loved watching all your projects and reading about your work and your life. I so look forward to sharing another year of fun with you. For those that are participating in the Crazy Challange, I do have to take my hat off to you. I chickened out and won't be doing it.... I figured it would be too confusing and stressful for me, but I will definitely enjoy watching your progress from the side line. Below is a picture of my finished projects in 2010. I think if you click on it, it will open up bigger.

En el año 2010, no he echo tanto punto de cruz como me hubiera gustado, pero he disfrutado de cada uno de mis proyectos. En el 2011, quiero concentrarme en bordar los proyectos que ya tengo en casa en vez de comprar cosas nuevas (ya oigo a mi amiga Katrina riendose de mi !!), o por lo menos lo voy a intentar....

Este mundo de Blogger me encanta y conoceros a todas y ver vuestros proyectos ha sido muy divertido. Espero compartir otro año con vosotras y conoceros un poquito mejor. Para aquellas que van a participar en el Crazy Challenge, tengo que felicitaros por vuestra valentia. Yo, que soy una cobarde, no voy a participar, pero me va a encantar seguir vuestro progreso durante el año. Abajo podeis ver una foto de todos los proyectos que he terminado en el 2010. Creo que podeis pinchar la foto para hacerla mas grande.

I hope 2011 brings you all health, love, peace and lots of stitching...

Espero que el año 2010, os traiga mucha salud, amor, paz y mucho punto de cruz... Un abrazo.

Merry Christmas - Feliz Navidad !!!

2010-12-25T11:45:00.006-07:00

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas full of joy, peace and love. I have enjoyed reading your comments and getting to know you all a bit. I look forward to a new year of fun and sharing with you. God bless you...

Os deseo una Muy Feliz Navidad llena de felicidad, paz y amor. He disfrutado leyendo todos vuestros comentarios y vuestra amistad. Nos vemos en el Año Nuevo con nuevos proyectos... Que Dios os bendiga.

The True Meaning Of Christmas

by Brian K. Walters

In todays' day and time,

it's easy to lose sight,

of the true meaning of Christmas

and one special night.

When we go shopping,

We say "How much will it cost?"

Then the true meaning of Christmas,

Somehow becomes lost.

Amidst the tinsel, glitter

And ribbons of gold,

We forget about the child,

born on a night so cold.

The children look for Santa

In his big, red sleigh

Never thinking of the child

Whose bed was made of hay.

In reality,

When we look into the night sky,

We don't see a sleigh

But a star, burning bright and high.

A faithful reminder,

Of that night so long ago,

And of the child we call Jesus,

Whose love, the world would know.

Oh Christmas...

2010-12-10T23:09:00.007-07:00

Hello friends....

It's been a while since my last post and I have been stitching as much as possible. I have finished some Christmas ornaments and also my Angel Band Sampler, although I have not framed it yet. I will show you the final result soon !!.

(Peg, if you are reading this, I missed you on Wednesday at stitching night and I wish you had been there to see my beautiful sampler. I am so proud of it !! You and your husband are in my prayers and I hope to see you next month.)

Christmas is such a special time for me. Every year, I start thinking about it way before the month of December... I get that cozy feeling thinking of snow, fireplace, the smell of spices, baking cookies, wrapping gifts, sending cards, and of course, time to cuddle up and stitch (hopefully while snow falls outside). I promise myself that this year it will be different. That I will read the story of Jesus' birth and focus on the true meaning of Christmas. But every year I fail miserably, does the same happen to all of you.? No matter how much planning I do, by the end of november, I get so stressed out about the many thing there are to do, that I even have shortness of breath, can you believe that???. Needless to say that all those thoughts that brought that cozy, warm, peaceful feeling turn into little devils nagging at me: I need to figure out what gifts to buy for whom, when to mail them, what's a good time to bake some cookies, oh gosh I am running out of time !! Maybe if I take a couple more days off work I'll be able to catch up. Oh my gosh, I have to send the packages to Spain so they make it there on time... How about the Christmas cards, I need to add that to my to do list so I don't forget, how about decorating the house.. oh well, maybe this year I can do just a little decorating, and that will save me some time, but no, I do like the house fully decorated.... and on and on and on.

So tonight, as I write this, I am stopping this hectic pace and promising myself to re-focus. I will think of the true meaning of Christmas every day and I will thank God for sending his son to die for me. How amazing is that love and mercy? What am I without that? It is hard to grasp the huge meaning of what our Saviour did for us, and yet, we have to try. We owe that to Him, so that's what I commit to doing. Gifts, cards, decorations, even cookies :-) will take a second place this year and that's my promise. I hope you guys will be able to stop the frantic pace also and really enjoy this special time with your loved ones.

Oh yes !!! I do have a few things to show you :-) Below are some little ornaments I've been working on. The first one is called Be Ye Merry by Threadwork Primitives and I stitched it over one. I love it and it will be given as a gift soon.

The ornament below is from the 2009 Just Cross Stitch ornament issue, and it will also be given as a gift :-) Believe it or not, this is the first year I have stitched ornaments to give as gifts and I am loving it. Isn't it nice to give without expecting anything in exchange? Give, give, give... that is also part of the Christmas spirit. It is so rewarding to think of those that don't have as much as we do and give to them as God has given to us.

This is the basket I made with some of the Little House Needleworks ornaments. I love the end result although the pictures are not that great. It sits in the center of my dining room table.

Well my friends. I do thank you for stopping by and reading my blog. I love your comments and I really treasure them. I wish you a Christmas full of blessings and joy for you and your loved ones. You have blessed me this year with your friendship and I appreciate it very much.

Merry Christmas !!!

From California...

2010-11-12T10:28:00.011-07:00

Hello stitching friends.... My DH and I decided to leave the snow and cold weather of Colorado and fly to California to enjoy the sun, the ocean and most of all, my husband's grandchildren. But I've got to tell you, two toddlers can drain you of energy in about one hour !! How can these little people have so much energy ALL DAY LONG ??!!! We love them, though, and honestly, we don't see them enough, so this weekend with them is a very special treat.

I also wanted to show you a couple of things that I've finished. I have lots of WIP and not enough finishes. I think my cross stitch is like my brain, scattered all over the place !!! LOL.

Below is a pin cushion, or maybe I should say just a cushion from Primitivebettys. It is big for a pin cushion, but I love it !! It is called Blue Tulips. The chart instructions ask for the fabric to be aged with a mixture of water, walnut crystals, clove, vanilla.... so it has a primitive look. I didn't stuff it completely in order to add to that primitive look :-). I don't think I did a very good job staining it, though. It is harder to do than it seems, and after trying, I believe it is all about the tool used to stain the fabric. I used a brush and I don't think that's the best way to do it, but I still haven't figured out what to use instead...maybe a sponge, a cloth or a different brush.... Any ideas?

Hola queridas amigas.... Mi marido y yo hemos decidido dejar atrás la nieve y el frío de Colorado y viajar a California a disfrutar del sol, el mar y sobre todo, de los nietos de mi marido. Pero tengo que deciros que dos niños de tres y dos años son agotadores !!! ¿Como es posible que dos cositas tan pequeñas tengan tanta energía durante TODO EL DIA !!! A pesar de todo los adoramos y, para ser sincera, no los vemos muy a menudo, así que este fin de semana con ellos es un placer.

También quería enseñaros unas cositas que he terminado. La verdad es que tengo muchos proyectos empezados y no termino nada !!

Abajo podeis ver un pincushion, o quizas debería decir un cushion de la diseñadora Primitivebettys. Es bastante grande pero me encanta !! Se llama Blue Tulips. La tela ha sido envejecida con una mezcla de agua, nuez molida, vainilla, clavo.... Tampoco lo he rellenado del todo para contribuir a ese look primitivo. El proceso de envejecido es mas complicado de lo que parece y creo que no lo he hecho muy bien. Yo utilice una brocha para aplicar la mezcla y creo que voy a tener que encontrar otra herramienta, quizas una esponja o un trapo. Si tenéis alguna idea decidmelo por favor. :-)

I have also finished one of the Little House Needlework ornaments. Now I only have 11 left to go !! I used the wool I bought a few weeks ago for the back and I really like the feeling of it. My idea is to finish them all by Christmas and put them all together in a nice basket as a table center or something like that. I just hope to have them all finished by Christmas and I figured that maybe if I wrote about it in my blog, I would feel the pressure to actually finish them. LOL !

También he terminado uno de los ornamentos de Little House Needlework. Ahora solamente me quedan 11 por terminar !! La parte de atras la termine con tela de lana y me gusta mucho como ha quedado. Mi idea es terminar los doce ornamentos y ponerlos todos juntos en una cesta como un centro de mesa. Espero poder terminarlos todos antes de Navidad.

Lastly, there is a project bag I made myself !! I went to my favorite fabric shop again (The Little Wool Shoppe), bought some fabric and decided to give it a try... I think it came out great considering it is the first time I've ever done one of these. Now I am all excited and I'm going to be making more of them for sure !! My friend Katrina let me borrow hers as a guide and I think I did a good job.

Finalmente os enseño una bolsita para mis proyectos de punto de cruz que he hecho yo misma. Considerando que nunca he hecho nada así, creo que me ha quedado bastante bien. Me encanta la tela que compre en mi tienda favorita The Little Wool Shoppe. Ahora estoy tan entusiasmada que voy a continuar haciendo mas.

And this is it for today. I'll try to get some stitching in this weekend, but that will be a challenge with two toddlers calling my name every minute :-) Yaya, yaya, yaya... that's what they call me, so very cute !! Enjoy your weekend and..... stitch in peace.

Y esto es todo por hoy. Voy a intentar hacer punto de cruz este fin de semana, pero con dos peques llamándome todo el día, no se como voy a encontrar tiempo :-) Yaya, yaya, yaya.... así es como me llaman... Son encantadores, la verdad. Espero que paséis un buen fin de semana. Un abrazo.

What did I get into???

2010-10-29T19:48:00.019-06:00

That is exactly what I thought when I started stitching this beautiful sampler by The Victoria Sampler. It is a tea cozy called "Tea Party" and I love it; HOWEVER......

En que lio me he metido??? Eso es exactamente lo que pense cuando empece a bordar el sampler en la foto de abajo. Es un diseño de The Victoria Sampler que se llama Tea Party y me encanta; PERO.....

......you know I've mentioned before that my husband and I are thinking very seriously about moving to my home country of Spain sometime next year. Well, having to make this decision, has caused me a great deal of stress and anxiety. There are a lot of things to consider in such a definitive move, but one of the things that really bothers me is leaving my stitching "world" which includes stitching friends, my Sampler Guild, stores, designers, retreats, classes....... you name it !!! I know you are thinking that, with Internet, there are no borders, really, and I agree, but there is nothing like hanging out with friends on a stitching weekend, or going to a LNS and touching the fabric and the threads, see the colors, look at new charts.... you know what I mean. (I really have a point to make, and all this rambling will make sense in a minute). Sooooo....., in all my anxiety and wanting to "stay connected" to my stitching world, I thought I would find a website that offers stitching classes on line that I could take all the way from Spain, and that's how I came to know The Victoria Sampler and its Cyberclasses. Now, I don't love all of the Victoria Sampler designs, but I just fell in love with this one, so, all excited and impressed with myself, I signed up for the class and decided to give it a try..... It was two days into stitching it that I started to ask myself if I had lost my mind !! I mean..... all those darn, fancy stitches !!!! You have your satin stitches, your chain stitches, your modified queen stitches, your foliage stitch (foliage stitch???)..... and to top it all....... the white daisies with their cute silk ribbon. Oh dear, I am going crazy !!! After this "fancy stitch adventure," I've decided I love mindless stitching, thank you very much !!!! I want to be able to sit in my favorite chair, watch a movie and stitch non-stop without having to study and analyze a chart !! Now, I'll finish this beautiful tea cozy, just because if I started it, I have to finish it, but I am not sure I'll get into all this specialty anymore. Then again, maybe this is like having a baby, after a while, you forget the pains of labor and do it all over again !!! LOL !! Below are some pictures of my progress. Let me know what you think :-)

Ya sabeis que he mencionado antes que mi marido y yo estamos pensando en irnos a vivir a España el año que viene. Esta decision me ha causado mucho estres e indecision. Hay muchas cosas importantes que considerar cuando se toma una decision tan definitiva, y una de las cosas que de verdad me preocupa es dejar mi "mundo de punto de cruz" el cual incluye mis amigas, my asociacion de samplers, tiendas, diseñadoras, classes, fines de semana haciendo punto de cruz... TODO !! Ya se que con Internet estos dias no hay fronteras, pero no hay nada como pasar un fin de semana con amigas haciendo punto de cruz, o ir a una tienda y tocar el lino y los hilos, y ver los colores... vosotras me entendeis, ¿verdad? Pues con toda esta preocupacion, decidi que una buena manera the seguir "conectada" a este mundo seria encontrar una pagina web que diera clases por internet, y asi es como llegue a conocer The Victoria Sampler y sus Cyberclases. No soy una fan de todos los diseños de The Victoria Sampler, y de hecho, hay muy pocos que me gusten, pero, tan pronto como vi este, me enamore, asi que decidida y armada de valor me apunte a la clase. Pues despues de dos dias de bordar y bordar, me empece a preguntar si habia perdido la cabeza. Madre mia !!! todos esos puntos de bordado especiales me estan volviendo loca !!!! Despues de intentar bordar este Sampler, he decidido que me gusta hacer punto de cruz sin tener que estudiar y analizar el chart. Sé que lo voy a terminar, pero creo que no voy a meterme en algo asi nunca mas. Pero quizas esto sea como tener un bebe.... cuando el tiempo pasa, una se olvida de los dolores del parto y volvemos a hacerlo todo otra vez !!! :-) Abajo podeis ver algunas fotos de mi progreso... Ya me decis si os gustan.

Slowly (painfully slowly) getting there...

Despacito (muy despacito) voy avanzando...

Below is the cross stitched part (that was a piece of cake !!) and some of my satin leaves. Please don't look very close at the chain stitch that makes the stem.

Abajo podeis ver la parte bordada con simple punto de cruz (esta es la parte facil !!)

Below are the white Daisies stitched with the silk ribbon. As you can see this is not my forte, and I pulled the ribbon too tight !! (What would my friend Nieves think, as good a job as she always does with her projects). But, being the perfectionist I am, I've already ordered some more ribbon and I'll be re-doing the darn little flowers..

Abajo podeis ver las margaritas que borde con lazo de seda. Ya veis que no hice un buen trabajo con esto y tire demasiado del lazo (Ay, que pensaria mi amiga Nieves con lo bien que ella lo hace todo). Pero como soy una perfeccionista, ya he comprado mas lazo para volver a bordar las dichosas margaritas.

Don't look at the white daisy, but the satin leave and the thistle look pretty good, don't they??

No mireis a la margarita, pero la hoja con punto de satin me ha quedado bastante bien, ¿no os parece?

Below is my favorite flower so far !!! The Tulip Flower with the feather stitch and all...... I did great on this one, didn't I?

Esta es mi flor favorita... El Tulipan... esta si me salio bien, ¿verdad?

Below is the Pink and Blue flower... Nice, huh?

Abajo esta la flor Rosa y Azul (la diseñadora no se calentó mucho la cabeza con el nombre de la flor)

And this is it for the Tea Party Sampler. Below is my progress on one of the Little House Needleworks Christmas ornaments. I have lost count of them all, so I don't know which one this is. Anyway, I really love the colors of Weeks Dye Works linen, but I am finding that I don't like to stitch on it at all because my stitches look horrible, and I can't quite figure out why. I think it is too soft and my stitches look loose and uneven. I am quite puzzled by this, so if any of you know a trick or know what I am doing wrong, please let me know. This is stitched in straw and it is more golden than the picture shows. I am bummed out because I bought a big piece of 40ct in the same color that I was planning on using to stitch BBD mystery sampler, but now, I am not sure if I'll use this linen.

Abajo podeis ver el ornamento de Navidad de Little House Needlework. Lo he bordado en lino de Weeks Dye Works, el cual tiene colores preciosos, pero he decidido que no me gusta bordar en este lino porque los puntos de cruz no me quedan nada bien y todavia no he averiguado porque. Creo que el lino es muy flojucho y los puntos quedan desiguales. No sé....

Well, with all the anxiety and stress over all those specialty stitches, I figured I needed some distraction and some time to unwind, so last Saturday I travelled to Windsor, CO (a town about 1 1/2 hours away from where I live) to a great little store called The Little Wool Shoppe. What can I say, I had to get my stash fix, and they were having a big sale... Can't beat that !!!. Below is the fabric I bought...

Pues con todos los nervios del bordado, decidi que necesitaba un dia de relax y de compras, así que viaje a Windsor, Colorado. Windsor es una ciudad a una hora y media de donde you vivo y allí hay una tienda de telas y de lana que me encanta, así que el sábado pasado decidi acercarme por allí, ya que tenían unas rebajas estupendas. La tienda se llama The Little Wool Shoppe, y abajo podéis ver las telas que compre...

By the way Katrina, they still have that purse you want so badly :-) :-)

And below is all the wool I bought from the same store. They have the greatest selection of wool. I plan on using it to finish the Little House Needleworks ornaments, if I ever get around to finish them. I am all caught up on stitching them, but the finishing is a different story. I have all these great ideas and no time !!!

Abajo podeis ver la tela de lana que compre. Esta tela la voy a utilizar para terminar los ornamentos de Navidad de Little House Needleworks, si es que encuentro tiempo algun dia !!

And guys, this is it for today.... I'll keep you updated on my Tea Party sampler, and know that if I finish this sucker, I'll be showing it off big time !!! I hope you have a great weekend. I really appreciate you stopping by to visit and taking the time to leave me a comment. It means the world to me.... Until next time.... Stitch in peace.

Bueno, pues con esto termina mi perorata... Ya os diré cuando termino my Tea Party Sampler, y quiero que sepáis que cuando lo termine voy a presumir y a presumir, con lo que me esta costando. Espero que paséis un buen fin de semana. Muchas gracias por visitarme y por dejarme una nota... Os lo agradezco muchísimo. Un beso...

What a weekend !!

2010-09-26T12:18:00.012-06:00

Well, here I am back home in CO after a wonderful weekend at the Shepherd's Bush Retreat in Park City, UT. I haven't had this much fun in a long time !! I absolutely loved it and I'm all bummed that it is over. It was hard to go back to work on Monday. The girls from Shepherd's Bush did a wonderful job, my goodness, a lot of work goes into organizing this retreat. We were over 170 women, all obsessed with new releases, limited editions, classes, shopping, eating.... you name it ! I got to hang out with the greatest people: Katrina, Karin, Valerie and Sara. Katrina, is the one that pretty much saved my life everyday... Katrina is the organizer, planner, save seats for everybody, stand in line early so we can get great goodies, person. She is the one that guided me and explained things to me over and over again every time I fell behind, which was most the time !!! LOL. Being a newbie at this, the retreat was a bit overwhelming for me at times.... so much information to absorb. Well, Katrina was always there for me. Karin was our official driver and did a wonderful job at it !! Thank you, Karin !!. She was also the one that kept us centered, focused and relaxed. It was such a pleasure to finally meet her after hearing so many great things about her from Katrina. I think she is wise and experienced in life and I love her accent !! There is a calm about her that I certainly appreciate. She is a fast stitcher too and could just tune us out when our chatter became too much. LOL !! I look forward to staying in touch with her through blogging and to seeing her again soon. Valerie is sweet and quiet and she would just let me talk, talk and talk about everything with amazing grace. I truly enjoyed meeting her and hope to see her again soon. I know we'll stay in touch through our blogs also. Valerie, we didn't get to speak much spanish though !! We'll have to do better next time :-). Wonderful Sara was the one that convinced me of the fact that stitching on 32ct is just fine versus my obsession with 40 ct :-). I think Sara was the one that most often needed a break from our excitement and hyperactivity, so that she could recharge and come back to us with renewed energy. I can't blame you, Sara !! She is a classy lady and I enjoyed sitting next to her in my classes. I also met some other wonderful ladies and got to see sweet Donna again, whom I had met during the Mediterranean Cruise I did in June.

Queridas amigas, ya estoy de vuelta en casa después de pasar un fin de semana maravilloso en Park City, Utah, donde fui al Retreat de Shepherd's Bush. Creo que este ha sido uno de los fines de semana mas divertidos de mi vida. Ay, lo que me costo volver al trabajo el Lunes. Las chicas de Shepherd's Bush hicieron un trabajo maravilloso organizando este Retreat. Madre mia el trabajo que esto conlleva !! Eramos un total de mas de 170 mujeres, todas obsesionadas con nuevos productos, ediciones limitadas, clases, compras, comida.... de todo !!! Para mi fue un placer pasar este fin de semana con mis amigas Katrina, Karin, Valerie y Sara. Katrina fue la organizadora de todas las actividades durante el fin de semana; ella era la encargada de que llegáramos a tiempo a las clases, también era la que estaba en la cola antes que nadie para que no nos perdiéramos ninguno de los nuevos productos. Ella era la que me guiaba y me explicaba todas las cosas que no entendía, que fueron muchas !! :-) Karin era nuestro chofer oficial. Ella nos llevaba y nos traía. Una chica estupenda muy relajada y muy sabia. Ha sido un placer conocerla. Valerie es muy dulce y me dejaba hablar y hablar sin fin con mucha gracia. Espero verla pronto otra vez. Sara también es una señora estupenda y de vez en cuando necesitaba alejarse de nosotros (que no parábamos de hablar) para recargar las pilas. También tuve ocasión de ver a mi amiga Donna, a quien conocí durante el crucero por el Mediterraneo en Junio.

Park City is almost as beautiful as Colorado this time of year. The Aspen trees are changing colors and the mountains look like somebody painted yellows and oranges all over them. I think it is soothing to look at them.

Park City, Utah es casi tan bonito como Colorado en esta epoca del año. Las hojas de los Alamos estan cambiando de color y parece que alguien haya pintado las montañas con pinceladas de amarillos y naranjas.

Below are some pictures of many different things !! The first one is of the bag we got from Shepherd's Bush at registration. Isn't it adorable? Our first project was to stitch the button with our initial... or whatever we wanted, and then assemble it with a handy tool that they gave us. Actually Karin was the one that assembled all our buttons !!! LOL.

Abajo podeis ver fotos de distintas cosas !! Esta es una bolsa que Shepherd's Bush nos dio cuando not registramos para el fin de semana. ¿A que es preciosa? Nuestro primer proyecto fue bordar el boton con nuestra inicial y luego montarlo y coserselo a la bolsa. Gracias a mi amiga Karin porque ella fue la que monto la tela sobre el boton !!

This is the button with my initial. Nice, huh??

Este es el boton con la inicial de mi nombre. Bonito, ¿verdad?

I really enjoyed each and everyone of the classes I took. The teachers were just outstanding and I learned so much from their instruction and their tips.... We should all take some classes at some point. I thought I knew it all and I just found out that I am a total newbie !! LOL.

The picture below is the project designed by Jeannette of Jeannette Douglas Designs. It is a Sampler called "My Story, A Sampling of Myself" and it is truly beautiful with the possibility of changing some of the motifs to personalize it. It has all these different stitches that, I know, will be a challenge for me, but hey who doesn't like a good challenge? :-)

Me encantaron todas las clases a las que asisti. Las diseñadoras que enseñaron en las clases fueron maravillosas y yo aprendi muchisimo de ellas. Creo que todo el mundo deberia asistir a alguna clase. Yo que pensaba que lo sabia todo y he descubierto que soy una novata !!

La foto de abajo es un projecto diseñado por Jeannete de Jeannete Douglas Designs para la clase. Es un Sampler que se llama "Mi historia, un sampler de mi misma" Es precioso y te da la opcion de cambiar algunos de los diseños para personalizarlos. Tiene distintas clases de puntadas (¿se llaman puntadas???), algunas de ellas muy complicadas. Va a ser un reto para mi.

Below is the project designed by Charland of Charland Designs for her class. It is a really cute needle book called "My Stitching Companion" In my picture you can see it closed and open with the front and back showing. The inside is really nice also, but I don't have a picture of it !! Maybe when I finish it I'll be able to show you.

Abajo podeis ver el diseño de Charland, de Charland Desings para la clase. Es un needle book que se llama "My stitching Companion" En mi foto lo podeis ver cerrado y abierto con la parte de delante y la de atras. La parte de dentro tambien es muy bonita, pero no tengo fotos !! Quiza cuando lo termine os lo podre enseñar.

Of all the designers, I have to say that I have a soft spot in my heart for Alma and Barb from Blackbird Designs. I have always been a big admirer of their work and, after attending their class, I can tell you that I am crazy about them :-). Just to hear their stories, how they work together, how they come up with the designs... Just so interesting and fun. I can now really see a lot of their personality behind their designs. Below is the picture of the project they designed for their class. It is a little stitching tray, isn't it adorable? It comes together with a little pin cushion. I am stitching it right now and can't wait to finish it. During their class, we also learned to make cute pin needles with beads. So much fun !!!

Tengo que confesar que, de todas las diseñadoras, tengo debilidad por Alma y Barb de Blackbird Designs. Siempre me han encantado sus diseños, pero después de asistir a su clase y escuchar sus historias, como trabajan juntas y como diseñan, tengo aun mas debilidad por sus diseños. Ahora puedo ver su personalidad reflejada en sus diseños. Abajo podéis ver la foto del diseño para la clase. Es una bandejita con un bordado de punto de cruz. Me encanta !! La estoy bordando ahora mismo y estoy impaciente por terminarla. Durante su clase, tambien aprendimos a hacer agujas bonitas para el pin cushion que va con la bandejita.

This is a picture of the Shared Stitches project. It is designed to go inside the box that you can see in the picture also, but I think I'll refinish the box and put the stitching piece on the top so it can be seen. What do you guys think? I think I'll just make a pincushion for the inside top.

Esta es la foto del diseño de Shared Stitches. Esta diseñado para in en el interior de la caja de madera, pero yo creo que voy a pintar la caja de otro color y poner el bordado encima envez de dentro, para que se vea. ¿Que os parece?

And finally, this is all my stash !!!! My goodness, everyday there was something to buy and when I thought I was done, something new would show up !! LOL. I have to thank Katrina again for getting up early and picking up all the goodies for me. I am not a morning person and by the time I arrived to the little boutique, she was already in line with stuff she had picked up for me ready to be paid for. Can't ask for more !!!

Y esta es una foto de todo lo que compre !!! Todos los dias habia algo nuevo que comprar, y cuando pensaba que ya no quedaba nada, algo nuevo aparecia por algun sitio. Tengo que darle las gracias a mi amiga Katrina por levantarse temprano e ir a la tienda a recoger todas las cosas nuevas para mi. A mi no me gusta levantarme temprano y si no hubiera sido por ella, no hubiera conseguido ninguno de los nuevos diseños. Cuando yo llegaba a la tienda, ella ya estaba en la cola esperando a pagar con todas mis cosas. Que maravilla !!

Boy, this is one long post !!! I hope you enjoyed it and, for those of you that have never gone to this retreat, I hope you have the chance some day. For those of you that have, I hope we get to do it again. It was really worth it. I thank you for stopping by and I wish you a wonderful rest of the week.

Pues esto es todo, amigas. Espero que os haya gustado ver todas las fotos de los distintos diseños. Espero tambien que algun dia podais ir a este Retreat. Es simplemente maravilloso y vale la pena. Muchas gracias por pasaros por mi blog. Espero que pasais una buena semana. Un abrazo.

Stitch in peace....

Progress on my Angel Sampler

2010-09-05T18:48:00.004-06:00

Hello everybody and Happy Sunday !! Aren't you all glad that tomorrow is a holiday? I love long weekends. I am always able to relax a lot more and, of course, I have lots more time to dedicate to my cross stitching. I have been working like crazy on my Angel Band Sampler and I thought I would show you my progress. I have finished the two first parts and I have a third left before I complete the satin stitches and finish it. It is a fun little sampler and I love the contrast in colors. I changed the blue that it asked for originally and chose a darker blue that shows better. I like the change and can't wait to finish it. This will be the first sampler I've stitched, so I am very excited about it.

Hola queridas amigas, Feliz Domingo !!! Mañana es fiesta aquí en Estados Unidos y yo estoy tan contenta. Me encantan los fines de semana largos. Me relajo muchísimo y puedo dedicar todo el domingo a hacer lo que mas me gusta: punto de cruz. He estado bordando mi Angel Band Sampler como una loca y quiero enseñaros lo avanzado que lo llevo. He terminado las dos primeras partes y me queda una tercera antes de terminarlo todo. Es un Sampler muy divertido de bordar y me encanta el contraste de colores. He cambiado el color azul por uno un poco mas oscuro, ya que el original que llevaba casi no se veía. Este es mi primer Sampler y me hace mucha ilusión terminarlo.

I like the colors in the angel to the right, the one to the left is a bit more boring :-) So far they have no eyes, but they will soon !!

Me gustan los colores del angel de la derecha, el de la izquierda es un poquito mas monotono y aburrido :-) De momento no tienen ojos, pero pronto los tendrán !!!

I love the way the blue contrasts with the other colors. I am glad I chose a darker one. It shows so much better than the original it asked for.

Me encanta el contraste del azul con los otros colores. Creo que el cambiar al color azul mas oscuro fue una decisión acertada. Queda mucho mejor que el original.

Below is a Lizzie Kate I finished today also. Did I mention that I love long weekends because I can spend the Sunday cross stitching and finishing? :-) :-) This will most definitely hang somewhere in my home..... but then again, I will probably end up giving it away as a gift to somebody dear to me.

Este es un modelo de Lizzie Kate que he terminado hoy también. ¿Os he dicho que me encantan los fines de semana largos porque tengo tanto tiempo para bordar y terminar los bordados?? :-) Esto lo voy a colgar en algún sitio en mi casa....... aunque, al final, lo mas probable es que se lo regale a alguna querida amiga.

And this is it for now..... The last weekend in September I'll be in Utah at the Shepherd's Bush retreat... I can't tell you how super excited I am to go. This is my first time and I've heard so many wonderful things about it. I'll be going by myself and, once there, I'll hook up with my sweet friend Katrina. I can't wait, I can't wait, I can't wait......

Pues esto es todo por ahora.... El ultimo fin de semana de Septiembre me marcho a Park City, Utah al Retreat de Shepherd's Bush. No os podeis imaginar la ilusión que me hace. Esta es la primera vez que voy y todo el mundo me dice lo maravilloso que es. Voy yo sola y allí he quedado con mi querida amiga Katrina. Que ilusión, que ilusión, que ilusión..... !!!

I hope you enjoy the rest of your long weekend and stitch a lot. Thanks so much for stopping by, it means the world to me. I'll be back soon, until then...... keep stitching happily !!

Espero que disfrutéis de la semana que empieza y que tengáis muchas oportunidades de hacer punto de cruz. Muchas gracias por visitar mi blog, de verdad que significa mucho para mi. Nos vemos pronto, hasta entonces, seguid bordando con paz y felicidad. Un abrazo..

Some Finishes

2010-08-19T12:45:00.003-06:00

Hello my fellow bloggers, it's been a while since I have posted anything, but I have been stitching away as much as possible.... Summer is always busy with so many different outdoor activities. I love them, but they seriously cut into my stitching time. Golf is being a big part of my summer. It has always been a terribly frustrating game for me, but it seems like this year is the one I break through and, at least, I can hit that little, darn ball with some consistency, much to my husband's delight.

Below is a Blackbird design that I stitched quite a while ago, but never framed. It was put in a plastic bin and it's been there until now. A few days ago, I stretched it and ordered a frame on line for it. I love the end result, don't you? The color of the fabric shows better in the first picture than in the second. I love the frame also. It is always a bit tricky to buy frames over the internet, but it is so much cheaper than having a local store frame for me. Guys, I am all for supporting local stores, but some expenses I just can't justify...

Hola queridas amigas, ha pasado bastante tiempo desde mi ultimo comentario, y es que he estado bastante ocupada. Siempre hay tantas cosas que hacer durante el verano y me encantan estas actividades, pero me quitan mucho tiempo para hacer punto de cruz !! Golf ha sido una parte bastante importante de mi verano. Siempre ha sido un deporte que me ha frustrado tremendamente, pero parece que este año he mejorado mucho, y al menos, soy capaz de darle a la dichosa pelotita con consistencia. Mi marido esta contentísimo.... Ay, lo que tiene que hacer una para mantener al marido contento :-)

Aqui tenéis una foto de un diseño de Blackbird Designs que tenia bordado hace bastante tiempo, pero que no enmarque. Lo guarde en una caja y no lo había tocado hasta ahora, así que lo desenterré, pedí un marco por internet y lo enmarque. Me encanta como ha quedado, ¿y a vosotros? El marco también me gusta. Siempre es un poco arriesgado pedir marcos por internet, pero los precios son mucho mas baratos que en la tienda. Yo soy muy partidaria de apoyar a las tiendas locales, pero hay ciertos gastos que no puedo justificar...

My second finish is one of Bent Creek's snappers. This was also stitched a bit ago and was put away in the plastic bin with the BBD model above!!! LOL !! So I decided to frame it also. Now I just need to find a place to hang them both. My home is not very big and on the walls I have mostly art that my mom did for me, so not much room left to hang my stitching (that's why I don't frame my work too often !)

Mi segundo bordado es un diseño de Bent Creek que se llama Snapper's Village. Este diseño también lo termine hace bastante tiempo, pero no lo había enmarcado. También estaba guardado en la caja con el otro de Blackbird Designs !!! :-) Ahora tengo que ver donde los cuelgo. Mi casa no es muy grande y en las paredes tengo muchas cosas hechas por mi madre, así que no tengo mucho sitio para mi punto de cruz (por eso no enmarco muchas cosas !)

I hope you are enjoying what's left of the summer. Can you believe that September is around the corner? Soon the aspen trees will start changing colors here in Colorado. It is truly a beautiful time of year, perfect for hiking. Looking forward to that.

Espero que estéis disfrutando lo que queda de verano. Parece increíble que Septiembre ya este a la vuelta de la esquina. Pronto las hojas de los alamos van a empezar a cambiar de color aqui en Colorado. Es una estación del año muy bonita, con pinceladas de color amarillo, naranja, ocre, terracota por todos sitios. Un tiempo precioso para hacer senderismo.

Enjoy your weekend and.... happy stitching !!!

Espero que paseis un muy buen fin de semana con mucho tiempo libre para relajaros y, por su puesto, hacer mucho punto de cruz. :-)

One day in the life of Nala and Rio

2010-07-24T11:47:00.026-06:00

Hello my dear fellow stitchers.... I hope your weekend has started very well and you are all enjoying, wherever you are. Thanks so much for stopping by my blog, I love it when you do. To my followers, I just have to tell you that I am so grateful and humbled that so many of you would be interested and my comings and goings. It really means a lot to me.

My fellow blogger Parsley asked me to post something in my blog about my doggies, and I thought that was a great idea. They certainly deserve it !!! They are the sweetest, most faithful companions and they are such a huge part of my life. Both of them are pure bred Scottish Golden Retrievers (also known as White Goldens), you will notice that they are very blond (not red) and smaller than the American Golden Retriever. So here we go..... This is one day in the life of Nala and Rio

Hola mis queridas amigas bordadoras, espero que vuestro fin de semana haya empezado bien, donde quiera que estéis. Muchas gracias por pasaros por mi blog, me hacéis muy feliz y os lo agradezco mucho. A mis seguidoras, deciros que os estoy muy agradecida de que os intereseis por lo que va pasando en mi vida.

Una compañera de blog, Parsley, me pidió hace poco que publicara algo sobre mis perros y me pareció una gran idea. Desde luego mis perros se lo merecen !! Son lo mas dulce y fiel que os podais imaginar. Son Golden Retrievers Escoceses de pura raza, tienen el pelo muy blanco (en vez de rojo) y son mas pequeños que el Golden Retriever Americano. Pues aquí vamos... este es un día en la vida de Nala y Rio

This is Nala, who is my sweet, old lady (almost 13 1/2). Nala has had quite an interesting life: she has lived in three different countries (Germany, Spain and USA), she has hiked the German Alps, swam in the beaches of Spain and hiked the Rocky Mountains. She has been my life and the two of us have gone through some very happy and very hard times together. When we first met Nala, she was so skittish she wouldn't even let us touch her and it took a while for her to get used to us... Now she is such a big part of our family and so special to me. I just don't know what I'll ever do without her.

Esta es Nala, my dulce abuelita (tiene casi 13 años y medio). Nala ha tenido una vida muy interesante: ha vivido en tres países distintos (Alemania, España y EEUU), ha caminado por los Alpes alemanes, se ha bañado en las playas de España y ha caminado por las montañas rocosas de Colorado. Nala es mi vida y las dos hemos pasado momentos muy felices y muy tristes, pero siempre juntas. Cuando la vimos la primera vez, Nala era tan tímida que ni siquiera nos dejaba tocarla. Tardo un tiempo a acostumbrarse a nosotros pero, una vez lo hizo, se convirtió en una parte fundamental de nuestra familia. Es tan especial y no me imagino lo que voy a hacer sin ella.

And here is Rio. Rio was supposed to go to a family in Texas, but when they changed their mind, guess where he ended up. Well, he is a true gift from God. The most loving, affectionate, faithful, giving dog. He is always there for us, close to us wherever we are or wherever we go. He probably gets up and lies down fifty times a day just because he follows us everywhere.

The only thing that he may love more than us is his tennis ball... :-) He has true Golden Retriever instincts, whereas Nala is a true Golden non-Retriever.

Y aqui esta Rio. Rio estaba destinado a ir a vivir con una familia en Texas, pero cuando cambiaron de idea, adivinad donde termino. Rio es un regalo de Dios. Es cariñoso, fiel y generoso. Siempre esta con nosotros donde quiera que estemos y donde quiera que vayamos. Yo creo que se levanta y se acuesta cincuenta veces al día, porque donde vayamos nosotros tiene que ir el. Quizá solo hay una cosa a la que quiere mas que a nosotros y es su pelota de tenis :-) Tiene mucho instinto de Golden Retriever y no como Nala que es un Golden no-Retriever.

Rio and Nala's morning starts with food. Food is an important part of a Golden Retriever's day and they wait anxiously while mommy prepares their food. In this picture, Nala is ready to start barking at me because I am never fast enough for her.

Para Nala y Rio el dia empieza con comida. La comida es muy importante en la vida de un Golden Retriever y ellos cada mañana esperan con impaciencia mientras su mamá (yo) les prepara el desayuno. En esta foto Nala esta empezando a ladrarme porque, para ella, soy demasiado lenta.

Mmmmmm..... Yummy !!!

Mmmmmmmm...... Que rico !!!!

After breakfast and a walk with daddy, it is time for a nap.... Nala generally naps in the same two places always.

Después de desayunar es hora de tomar una siesta.... A Nala le gustan dos sitios específicos en mi casa y ahí es donde duerme siempre.

...but Rio likes to lie down under my desk while I work, he doesn't look very comfortable, but he spends almost eight hours under there !!! Did I mention how he always has to be close to us?? :-)

Sin embargo, a Rio le gusta acostarse debajo de mi escritorio mientras trabajo. Yo creo que está bastante incomodo porque no tiene mucho sitio, pero ahí se pasa unas ocho horas al día !!! Os he mencionado que él siempre tiene que estar cerca de nosotros :-) ??

Rio's favorite moment of the day is when mommy finishes work and he can go outside to play. "Rio, do you want to go outside and play with the ball???" That really gets his attention.

El momento preferido del día para Rio es cuando termino de trabajar porque entonces es cuando podemos salir a la calle a jugar con la pelota. "Rio, quieres salir a jugar con la pelota???"

For Nala, going outside is more of a challenge: "Oh boy !! Here are the dreaded stairs again." Nala takes her time as her good old bones resent going down the stairs.

Para Nala, salir a la calle es un reto. "Madre mía !! Aquí estan las dichosas escaleras otra vez." Nala se lo piensa bastante lo de bajar por las escaleras. Sus huesos viejos y entumecidos le recuerdan que las escaleras no son una cosa buena :-)

"Made it down one more time !!! Yippee !!!"

Yupi !!! Consegui bajar las dichosas escaleras una vez mas !!

"Now I can relax in the sun for a little bit....."

"Ahora me puedo relajar un poquito aquí al sol..."

"mommy where is my ball???"

"Mami donde esta mi pelota???"

"There it is !!! There it is !!!! Can I have it?? Please, please, please???"

"Aqui esta !!! Aqui esta !!!! Me la das?? Por fa, por fa, por fa???"

"Okay mommy, please throw the ball for me... "

"Mami tirame la pelota...."

In the middle of all this playing, the UPS man arrives with goodies for me !!!! These are silk skeins for the Shores of Hawk Run Hollow..... Oh my..... this is pure joy !!

Y mientras estamos en la calle jugando, llega el camion del correo y me trae el hilo de seda para bordar The Shores of Hawk Run Hollow.... Oh.. que delicia !!!!

Rio never loses focus.... just one thing in his mind: BALL, BALL, BALL

Rio solo piensa en una cosa: LA PELOTA, LA PELOTA, LA PELOTA

Later in the day it is time for a longer walk. Nala is a slow walker so Rio entertains himself by looking for golf balls during the walk along the golf course. He does a good job and usually finds two or three per walk. When he arrives home, he puts them in the "golf ball pot" When the pot is full, we return the balls to the golf course, and on and on we go :-)

Ya por la tarde, vamos a dar un paseo largo. Nala camina muy lentamente, así que Rio se entretiene buscando pelotas de golf mientras caminamos por el campo de golf. Normalmente encuentra de dos a tres pelotas y siempre las lleva a casa y las mete dentro de la maceta de las pelotas de golf. Cuando la maceta se llena, devolvemos todas las pelotas al campo de golf. Y al dia siguiente, empezamos de nuevo :-)

The "golf ball pot" is almost full........ Soon we'll have to take it back.

La maceta de pelotas de golf esta casi llena.... Pronto las vamos a tener que devolver.

These are my doggies whom I adore. Isn't it amazing how they come into our lives and transform us? They have so much unconditional love to give. I believe, we humans have so much to learn from animals. Our world would be a much better place if we were capable of unconditional love like they are. I hope you all enjoyed meeting them..... Have a wonderful weekend and stitch happily. I am off to play golf with my husband and then....... you guessed it !!!......... my stitching time begins. Much love to all of you.

Y estos son mis perros a los que adoro. No os parece increíble la capacidad que tienen para querernos incondicionalmente? Creo que los humanos tenemos mucho que aprender de los animales. Nuestro mundo seria mucho mejor si todos pudiéramos querer incondicionalmente como hacen ellos. Espero que os haya gustado conocerlos. Os deseo un muy buen fin de semana y que paséis momentos felices haciendo punto de cruz. Yo me voy a jugar al golf con mi marido y después.......eso es !!! ......my tiempo para hacer punto de cruz empieza. Un abrazo a todas.

Some Finishes

2010-07-18T15:46:00.005-06:00

Hello everybody and Happy Sunday !!! Well, my excitement over the Spanish Soccer team winning the World Cup is winding down and I am back to being excited about my stitching. Below is my finished Red and Blue Houses by Industrioushead. Emily Evanston is a very talented designer and I love her work, please visit her blog, you'll like it. I finished this as an easel and it now stands nicely in my office/craft room. This is one of my favorite designs.

Hola a todas y feliz domingo !!! Bueno, pues ya me he calmado un poco después del triunfo de nuestra selección en el mundial y ahora ya vuelvo a concentrarme en mi punto de cruz. Abajo podéis ver fotos de Red and Blue Houses que he terminado. La diseñadora es Emily Evanston de Industrioushead. Emily es una diseñadora relativamente nueva y tiene mucho talento. Aseguraos de visitar su blog que os gustara.

This is the Needle Keeper from Maggi Co's SAL finally finished. I do like the end result and it has been fun stitching and finishing it. Well, finishing it was a bit of a challenge, but I did it !! Maggi Co's is a fun designer. Click here to see all the different finishes for this project.

Este es el Needle Keeper del Maggi Co's SAL ya terminado. Me gusta como ha quedado, y ha sido divertido bordarlo y coserlo. Bueno, coserlo me ha costado un poco, pero al menos lo he conseguido. Pincha aqui para ver los diferentes Needle Keepers de todas las que nos apuntamos.

This is it for today !! I hope you had a great weekend. I am turning 44 today (where did time go??? It seems like I was 18 yesterday !!!) and it has been a nice weekend. Yesterday, I had dinner with my sweet husband and today I had brunch with dear friends whom I had not see in a year. I enjoyed catching up, but why is it that we celebrate everything around food??? Food is comforting to me :-) Tomorrow I start being good again and eating healthy.... Now, my time to stitch starts.... Happy stitching to all of you !!

Pues esto es todo por hoy. Espero que hayais pasado un buen fin de semana. Yo cumplo 44 años hoy (como es posible si ayer mismo tenia 18??) y mi fin de semana ha sido muy bueno. Ayer salí a cenar con mi marido y hoy he desayunado con amigos a los que no veía hace un año. Me ha encantado hablar con ellos y saber como les va todo. Porque lo celebramos todo comiendo, me pregunto??? Creo que la comida es reconfortante para mi y es por eso :-) Mañana ya tengo que portarme bien otra vez y empezar a comer con careo. Bueno...... ahora empieza mi tiempo para bordar :-) Un abrazo a todas.

SPAIN IS THE WORLD CHAMPION !!!!!

2010-07-11T19:21:00.006-06:00

My friends, I just have two words to say today: WORLD CHAMPIONS !!!! Thanks to all of you that commented on my blog and wrote with good wishes. My dear Spanish team made it today and I am so proud !! I certainly cried tears of happiness and I'll be savoring this victory for a while. I wish I could be home today...

Queridas amigas, solamente tres palabras: CAMPEONES DEL MUNDO !!!!!! My querida selección ha ganado el mundial y estoy tan orgullosa. He llorado lagrimas de felicidad y hasta me he salido a la calle a gritar de alegria.... sorprendiendo a mis vecinos, que me conocen mas como una chica bastante calladita y tranquila..... Ojalá estuviera en casa hoy....

GO SPAIN !!!!

2010-07-08T22:11:00.005-06:00

Well, here I am all ecstatic over the victory of my country Spain over Germany !! I am totally into the mood as you can see from the new design of my blog, and I can't wait to see the final on Sunday. This may be the only thing that makes me put my stitching aside !!!! The truth is that I always try not to get too involved, but I never succeed and I just can't separate myself from my home and my country. So... GO SPAIN !!! I will jump with happiness if we win and I know I will cry bitter tears if we lose, that's how excited I am about this. Anyway.... thanks for putting up with my ramblings, keep on stitching and have a happy weekend !!!

Bueno, pues aquí estoy otra vez emocionadísima sobre la victoria de España sobre Alemania !! Como podéis ver por el nuevo diseño de my blog, yo ya estoy viviendo el ambiente incluso desde EEUU y espero con impaciencia la final el domingo. Puede que esto sea lo único que me haga dejar mi punto de cruz de lado en un fin de semana !!! La verdad es que siempre intento no emocionarme mucho, pero nunca lo consigo. Me es muy difícil separarme de mi hogar y de mi país, así que ADELANTE ESPAÑA !!! Voy a dar saltos de alegría si ganamos y voy a llorar lagrimas amargas si perdemos. Bueno, aquí termino. Buen fin de semana a todos.

I figured it out !!!

2010-06-28T07:36:00.003-06:00

Well, I thought I had this signature thing figured out, but evidently I didn't. Had to delete and I am posting again. Same thing, though. :-) I told you I was computer illiterate.

Nothing new happening..... although while visiting my parents in Spain I made good progress on my Angel Sampler. It is coming along nicely and I hope to finish it between now and December. Yeah, I know many of you think that I have lots of time, but I am not so sure :-).

Today is a sad day for me, as will be the next two weeks. That is approximately the time it takes me to get over my homesickness. I just came back yesterday from visiting my family in Spain and it is always so hard to leave them. My husband and I have really talked about moving to Spain within the next one or two years. I have such mixed emotions about it. I love the US and Colorado, where I live, but I feel so lonely with my family so far away.... I would love to go back home and do something there related to cross stitch, maybe a little business... So many decisions to make, lots to pray about, but I know God is good and will lead the way....

Here is a picture of my two nieces and nephews taken at my brother's country home during a family lunch.... I love them as if they were my own children, all these kids that, seems like yesterday, were cute little babies and toddlers, and now look at them, all grown up and with lives of their own. I miss them... Also a picture of the beautiful paella my brother made for lunch. I miss home already...

Back from my Med Cruise !!

2010-06-20T06:07:00.013-06:00

Hello and Happy Sunday !!! I thought I would post something about the wonderful Med Cruise I went on and that was organized by the Silver Needle. I came back from it totally exhausted: too much sightseeing and fun activities !!, but the cruise was a lot of fun. Very well organized by Judy Bradford from Expedia. It was great to meet so many stitchers from so many different places. It just confirmed my belief that stitchers are some of the greatest, friendliest people in the world. I just wish we’d had more time to stitch, but our agenda was so full of other activities.... We went to Naples and the Amalfi coast (which was absolutely breathtaking), Rome Pompey. Next we hit Pisa and on to France: Nice, Monaco, Monte Carlo and the French Provence. Below are some pictures of the many I took. The Voyager of the Sea was a great ship full of so many different things: from shops, to restaurants, pubs, casino, pool...

Florence was a special stop for me because it was there that I got to fulfill my long time dream to see the statue of David sculpted by Michelangelo.... isn’t it just breathtaking, it was impressive and just absolutely beautiful. I didn’t want to leave its side !!! :-)

We got some great goodies from Lindy (Silver Needle). The one below is a humbug pincushion (is that what they are called???). It was designed by Just Nan exclusively for this cruise and for the Silver Needle and I love the colors in it (even though the pictures I took of it are not that great). Each side has the name of a country that we visited during the cruise. It will be fun to stitch and finish, and a great little memory of our trip.

We also got the chart for an absolutely beautiful sampler designed and signed by Giulia Manfredini from Giulia Punti Antichi. The sampler is inspired by antique Italian motifs and stitches. It was designed for our cruise and dedicated to Lindy, the owner of the Silver Needle. It is stitched on 28 ct Antique Tan linen by Wichelt and 16 different colors of Valdani thread. I may stitch it on a higher count but i'll keep the same colors because I think they are beautiful. I can't wait to stitch it.

Well, this is all for now. I am currently in Spain visiting my family and I'll fly back to the States on June 25th. I am starting to get very sad thinking of leaving my family again. Every time I come home, I just want to move to Spain again. It takes me about two weeks to get over my homesickness and be able to function normally. Yikes !! Family is a big deal, isn't it?

Happy stitching !!

2010-05-21T19:47:00.003-06:00

Hello and happy Friday !!! Here is the design I stitched for my sister finally framed... I think it looks great and I can't wait to show her. Now, I just need to figure out how to pack it for my trip to Spain. I leave on June 3rd and fly home to my parents. On the 5th of June, I take the train to Barcelona with a dear friend from my home town, and in Barcelona, we both join the Silver Needle Mediterranean Cruise. I am so excited about it and I can't wait. I'll make sure to post pictures for everybody to see. More posts to come soon. Have a great weekend and stitch a lot !

Hola y Feliz Viernes !! Este es mi diseño que he bordado para mi hermana ya enmarcado. Creo que ha quedado bien. Ahora tengo que averiguar como ponerlo en la maleta para mi viaje a España. Lo mas probable es que lo tenga que llevar como equipaje de mano. Me marcho a España el 3 de Junio, y el 5 de Junio me voy a Barcelona con una amiga para unirnos al crucero por el Mediterráneo que Silver Needle organiza. Me hace mucha ilusión.... Ya os enseñare las fotos a través de este blog. Espero que paseis un buen fin de semana !!

My First Design/Mi primer diseño !!

2010-05-13T19:11:00.004-06:00

Hello everybody after a long time without posting. Designing was something that never occurred to me until recently. I've always wanted to make something special for my sister and, as many beautiful things as we have in our world of cross stitch, not many have words and sayings in Spanish (my sister's language), so I had no choice but to think of something myself. So I started drawing and playing with colors, thinking that there was no way I would be artistic enough to come up with something, but much to my surprise, here is the final result. I actually love it and I think my sister will too. The words say "Sisters of the Heart" and my sister is truly a sister of the heart. I am thinking of stitching the same design with the words in English. Let me know what you think. Now I just need to frame it.... Happy Stitching !!!

Hola a todas

Diseñar punto de cruz es algo que nunca se me había ocurrido hasta hace poco. Siempre he querido bordar algo especial para mi hermana, pero nunca he encontrado nada con palabras o dichos en español. Así que me decidí a probar, y jugando con dibujos y colores, acabe por diseñar esto. Se llama "Hermanas del Corazon" y espero que a mi hermana Eli le encante. Ella es una verdadera hermana del corazón. Me encantan los colores y la tela. Ahora solo tengo que encontrar un marco bonito.... Decidme lo que os parece. Un abrazo

2010-04-11T18:01:00.004-06:00

Here is my progress on my Angel Band Sampler. It is coming along nicely and it is really fun to stitch. I do like the colors on it. This is the first sampler I have ever stitched, so I am excited about it and I can't wait to finish it. I'll keep you posted. Happy Stitching !!!

Esto es lo que llevo bordado de mi Angel Band Sampler. Creo que esta quedando muy bonito y me gustan los colores. Este es el primer Sampler que bordo y me hace mucha ilusión terminarlo. Ya os mostrare mas tan pronto como avance un poco.

2010-04-11T17:58:00.005-06:00

Hello and Happy Sunday ! I hope you all had a great weekend and stitched a lot. I've been stitching a couple of hours every day, but I don't feel I've made much progress. I just finished this cute freebie from Lizzie Kate. I stitched it on a fabric I dyed myself (my first attempt at dyeing fabric). It is a light pink, but I don't think the picture shows the true color of it. Anyway, I think it is cute, and it will hang nicely from the door of my china cabinet. I may put some embellishment around it at some point, but for now this is it.

Hola y Feliz Domingo !! Espero que hayais pasado un buen fin de semana con mucho tiempo para bordar. Yo he hecho punto de cruz prácticamente todos los días durante un par de horas, pero no tengo la impresión de haber avanzado mucho. Este es un modelo de Lizzie Kate que tenia por mi casa. La tela le he teñido yo y es un rosa clarito, pero no se ve muy bien en la foto. Creo que es gracioso y quizá le ponga algún lazo bonito alrededor, pero de momento esto es lo que hay.

2010-04-01T18:04:00.003-06:00

Hey there... I just wanted to say THANK YOU to all of you that have left comments on my blog and are following it. I really appreciate all your compliments and your taking the time to stop by. I still haven't figured out how to reply to each one of your comments individually.... Is there even a way to do that??? Please bear with me while I learn all this blogging stuff :-)

I wish you all an Easter Holiday full of blessings.

Happy stitching !!!

Ready For My Angel Sampler

2010-03-24T15:43:00.008-06:00

As you all see, I keep adding projects and more projects to my list, but this one I am really excited about. I've had this chart for a few years and I am finally ready to stitch it. It is a 1795 Angel Band Sampler from Historic Stitches. The stitcher of this sampler never signed her name, so it is not possible to trace it's maker's origins. It was purchased in England, and in spite of its relatively late date, it is more suggestive of English band samplers of earlier times, the late 17th century band samplers, or of the early 18th century samplers, a transitional time when samplers were evolving from a long and narrow band shape to a more square form. The middle band of this sampler has an almost religious feel, with two angels flanking a table set with teapot and cups, as if for some sort of ceremony. Another interesting feature of this sampler is that the bottom third, which contains the large, repeating floral motif, is stitched over three threads, a characteristic of 17th century English band samplers. It doesn't have complicated stitches, only cross stitch and satin stitch, which is probably a good thing. :-)

Como podeis ver, sigo añadiendo mas y mas proyectos a mi lista, pero este Sampler me hace mucha ilusion. Lo he tenido bastantes años, pero nunca me habia hecho el ánimo de empezarlo. Ya tengo la tela y los hilos y estoy preparada. Este es un Sampler Ingles fechado en el 1595. La autora nunca firmó su nombre, así que no se han podido trazar sus origenes. Es típico de los Samplers ingleses del siglo 17 que se bordaban en differentes bandas o secciones con distintos temas. Este particularmente, tiene motivos religiosos bordados en la banda del centro y la banda de la parte de abajo se ha bordado sobre tres hebras en vez de dos, lo cual no es muy tipico. Ya ire publicando fotos de mi progreso.

Mary Wigham Continued

2010-03-24T15:10:00.004-06:00

Well, I think luck is on my side, or should I say friends are on my side. It looks like I'll be able to finish my Mary Wigham in Autumn Medley after all thanks to awesome Judy Tyykila. Judy just saved my life, as she moved heaven and earth to find two more skeins of the darn color which are on their way to Colorado. I am so excited and I can't thank Judy enough. Cross stitchers truly make a great community of people.

Parece que la suerte esta de mi lado, o deberia decir mis amigas estan de mi lado. Gracias a Judy Tyykila, amiga y miembro de my Sampler Guild of the Rockies, he encontrado el suficiente hilo en Autumn Medley para poder terminar my Mary Wigham. Estoy muy ilusionada porque me encanta la mezcla de colores y ademas no tengo que deshacer nada !! :-) Gracias Judy !!

Mary Wigham

2010-03-15T18:43:00.007-06:00

This is the beginning of my Mary Wigham sampler. I started stitching it on 40ct Bisque from Lakeside. I am using Silk'n Colors in Autumn Medley from the Thread Gatherer, and unless any of you can rescue me and tell me where I can find some more of this floss, I will have to undo all I've done and choose a different thread. You see? I didn't know this thread had been discontinued by the maker, and I don't have enough to finish my project. I must have called and emailed 30 stores today and nobody seems to have it in stock, so if any of you, dear readers, knows where I can find it, I will be eternally grateful. I am so bummed....

Este es el principio de mi Mary Wigham... Estoy usando Silk'n Colors en Autumn Medley, pero este color ya no se vende y no voy a tener bastante para terminar el bordado. Estoy muy desanimada porque me encanta el efecto de los colores mezclados. Si alguien sabe donde puedo encontrar este color, que me lo diga.... Si no, voy a tener que desacerlo todo y empezar de nuevo con un hilo distinto. Ay, ay ay...

Some things I've finished

2010-03-15T18:31:00.003-06:00

Here are some things I've finished in the last couple of weeks. The fob is a Tudor Rose that I stitched for my friend Deanna as a B-Day gift. You all are familiar with Fa-La-La and the Pear Tree from Little House Needleworks. I need to finish them somehow... That will be the next step.

Estos son algunos de los bordados que he terminado, aunque no estan enmarcados todavia. El fob lo hice para mi amiga Deanna como un regalo de cumpleaños. Es el primero que hago y me encanta !! Es una Rosa Tudor. Los demas son Fa-La-La y Pear Tree, los ornamentos de Little House Needleworks.

Hello there, long time no see

2010-03-10T15:23:00.003-07:00

Hello there, I just wanted to say a quick "hi" so you don't think I have disappeared from the face of the earth. I have been working on some pieces but I don't have a final product yet. I finished "Because Nice Matters" the weekend I promised I would, but I still don't know if I am going to frame it or finish it some other way. I need to decide soon !! I have also made my first little scissor fob and I am so excited.... It was fun to make. I won't post a picture of it until next week since it is a birthday present for a friend and I don't want her to see it yet. I have also been working on the Christmas ornaments from Little House. I finished Fa-La-La and I am working on the pear tree, over one on 28ct, so it is going slowly. Tonight is stitch night at my favorite cross stitch shop Fancy Mats and More, so I am ready to drive there and stitch, stitch, stitch. I will post some pictures this weekend hopefully. Until then, be happy and...... stitch away !!!

2010-02-19T16:53:00.003-07:00

There is something about Fridays that just makes me jump with joy. The prospect of two whole days ahead of me to stitch and relax makes me feel happy. Whether it is a date with my husband (usually dinner and a movie) or a whole evening cuddled up at home with my stitching, I just love it !! It is cold and snowy in Colorado today, so it is going to be home in front of the TV stitching and that suits me just fine :-). I am half way through La-D-Da's "Because Nice Matters;" this is an old chart I have had and finally decided to stitch it. I have changed the colors and I am stitching it on 35ct. I hope to finish it this weekend. I am not sure yet if I will frame it or if I will finish it some other way. More to come on this. You all have a great weekend and......keep stitching !!

SGR Sewing Box

2010-02-14T23:29:00.004-07:00

I finished the sewing box designed by Janice Wood for the Sampler Guild of the Rockies. The box is from IKEA and Janice designed a pattern to fit perfectly in it. I used an antiquing medium to make the box look a bit aged and old. I love it !!!

Esta es una caja de costura que fue diseñada por Janice Wood, un miembro de nuestro grupo de punto de cruz. La caja es de IKEA y esta envejecida con Betun de Judea para darle un aspecto mas antiguo.

My Recently Finished Project

2010-02-14T23:20:00.006-07:00

Well, it is late at night and I have just figured out how to add a picture to a post. This was a long, relaxing weekend. I must confess that I have not stitched anything for Valentine's Day, but here is this cute pillow I just finished to give as a gift. It was fun to stitch. It made me like pink again :-)

Este es un cojin decorativo que acabo de terminar. Es para un regalo y creo que es precioso.

Welcome to my Blog !!

2010-02-08T18:05:00.006-07:00

Hello and welcome to my blog. I thank you for stopping by...... I am quite new at this blogging business, and I have just learned how to post a blog !! :-). I do hope to master this skill quickly, so I can move on to what I really like: Cross Stitch. Soon, I will be able to show some of my stitched projects (old and new). Until then enjoy yourself and.... keep stitching !!!

2010-01-10T20:16:00.000-07:00

My Stitching Photo Album

Please click on the link below to see pictures of my finishes...

2010 Finishes

2010-01-10T20:10:00.002-07:00

My Neck Of The Woods

I live in beautiful Colorado with my husband and my two doggies. If you click the link below, you will be able to see some pictures of this beautiful state, our home and my doggies: Nala and Rio. I am originally from Spain and that's what I still call home. You can see pictures of my country through one of the links below.

Colorado

Spain

Nala and Rio

Natalia's Photo Album

2010-01-10T19:36:00.001-07:00

NATALIA'S STITCHING ALBUM

You can see all my stitching finishes at the link below:

2010 Finishes

Photos Of My Work

2010-01-01T19:15:00.002-07:00

Natalia's Stitching

You can see all of my finishes under the following links:

2010 Finishes