Better late than never?

Long time no write! It's been ages since I've posted, so I do have some work to show for all my time away. I actually have some of it finished! First up is House Blessing by Barbara Bangser, which I got from Keepsake Needlearts. This is the third design of hers that I've done (the Thomas Jefferson quote and Storytime are the others); unfortunately there are no more that I am enamoured of so this will be it for awhile.

I made a few changes to the design - there was nothing in the lower right corner next to the Amen, so I took a motif from the top and added it there. There was a cross in the middle of the P in Peace, which I changed to kind of a star shape. And for some reason every H was charted differently, so I made them all the same. This piece reminds me of an illuminated manuscript and I loved stitching it. I'm going to hang it in my entryway, and hope that its sentiment holds true.

This is French Country Owl by JBW Designs, stitched on 36 count linen with WDW Sweet Potato.  Isn't he adorable? I had an old hoop that fit it perfectly.This was my first real foray into over one stitching (Carol, you amaze me with how easy you make it look!)

This is Promise of Spring by Silver Creek Samplers. This one took forever to complete - I kept putting it down to do other things, even though I really liked it. The lettering was supposed to be black but I changed it to WDW Havana, as I wanted a softer look. The linen is from Picture This Plus. If anyone wants to stitch this, be aware that the color given in the chart (Sterling) will not look like the picture of the design. The color needed is actually Tarnish (I found this out when I had to send Sterling back to PTP). The linen is somewhat grayer than my picture shows. I love its mottled look.

Finally, as of tomorrow I will be the mother of a teenager! My son turns 13 as of 4:13 am on Saturday. Gulp - I'm not sure I'm ready for this! His favorite subjects are Math and Science, so this was a natural (I hope he heeds the advice!) 

Even though I haven't been around much I am out there enjoying all the beautiful work displayed on your blogs. I wish you many blessings, whatever you celebrate, and a wonderful New Year!