Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year

What better way to start the New Year than with something cheery and more meaningful than it might seem.

If you work on an 18-point canvas, the design is sized for a 14"x14" pillow.

Add your own borders, or look up some ideas on my blog by clicking on "borders."

I did the writing with the Bradley Hand ITC font in Paint with the black-and-white feature turned on (reduces edge smudging), copied-and-pasted it into a StitchPainter file, then turned it into a bmp to share with you for your personal non-commercial stitching pleasure.

Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year!

Wordless Wednesday (30)

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Wordless Wednesday (29)

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Wordless Wednesday (28)

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So, it's a New Year..."Count your blessings"

So, it's a New Year.

Have you made your needlepoint New Year's resolutions, yet?...More......

I'm looking forward to the end of the whirlwind, so I can dedicate more time to needlepointing. Got a bit more done on the present-in-progress.

In the meantime, today's needlepoint diagram seems appropriate for beginning a New Year on a positive note: "Count your blessings."

Cats and Dogs

Are you a cat, or dog, or both, lover? I can't help but remember that very funny "Far side" cartoon in which, while the owner scolds, the dog hears something like, "Now, Ginger, if I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times, you're to stay out of the garbage, do you hear me, now the next time...," while just below, the same owner scolds his cat, who hears zippo...the text "balloon" is blank. Snic snic. Not that I really think that, though. They do understand. They just don't care.

Contrasts: conceptual

Contrasts in concept, not just design and color, also can be a fun way to enliven your design. It’s not very original, but I still love my “Plan Ahead” sunglasses case. It’s a way to poke fun at myself because I do try to be well organized, but don’t always manage. It’s small, so, if you like it, you’ll be able to stitch it up in time to use it this summer. Substitute your colors of choice for the black, gray and white. You can fill in the bowls of the letters with colors.

Calling all ranchers' and farmers' wives, sisters, moms...

One fun thing to do in needlepoint (or embroidery, or cross-stitch) is sayings, whether uplifting, or for fun. Inspired by a post in one of my favorite non-needlepoint blogs (Raising Country Kids, by Erin: http://www.raisingcountrykids.com/), I designed this one on being a farmer-rancher's wife. I designed the font in a western style, but, in fact, if you take out "farm," it could be applicable to any new bride! Opening the image, my browser allows me to enlarge it, and save it so that the design will be useful. I hope it works for you, too!

Most recent completed project: a Thank You

I can't tell you about my current project, yet, it's a surprise gift, but I can tell you about my most recent project:...More......another surprise gift.

Lately, we have had to avail ourselves more than usual--most unfortunately--of the efficient services of our public health service doctor, whom I wanted to thank from the bottom of my heart, which meant--for me--with a hand-done needlepoint of my own design. "Medico" in Italian means "doctor," the blue "o's" are pills, and the border colors are inspired by the traditional colors used by pharmacy signs, here. I designed it, executed it, and framed it by myself (more on framing in the future).

I'm very happy (and relieved) to say that she loved it, and immediately set it up in her office, where she always can see it.