Jenny, Ann, Will and Kate

 I'm almost done with the bottom section of the Jenny Bean Sampler from Scarlet Letter.  I got bored filling in the cloud, so I jumped up to the verse.  It's both over one and two.  My poor guy got his much needed face lift.  Aren't they a handsome pair?

I also pulled out the 1820 Ann Hicks Sampler.  I was gung ho about this sampler initially, but I quickly lost my enthusiasm.  The colors don't do much for me and there is a color change every couple of stitches.  I'm not a big fan of that either.  There's only two ways to stitch a design like that,  re-thread your needle constantly or keep multiple needles threaded.  What do you do?  I am going to finish her though because I just can't stand having unfinished samplers, and it would be a waste of a nice piece of linen.  Oh, another thing that really bugs me about this sampler is the color of the apples.  Pink?  Really?  I should have changed them for sure.  

  

Awhile back someone emailed me wanting to know where I got the wooden folk art birds.  I had no idea, but recently saw them at Cohasett Colonials.  They are exactly like mine. 

Like much of the world, I am excited about the upcoming wedding of Will and Kate.  Being a self proclaimed Anglophile, this is the icing on the cake, no pun intended, ha!  I clearly remember getting up very, very early thirty years ago to watch Prince Charles and Lady Diana wed.  I'll be doing the same thing on Friday, but I'll lose two more hours of sleep since I'm in a different time zone these days.  I would love to be one of those people lining the streets for a glimpse of the couple, but I'll settle for having my cup of tea and scones from the comfort of my sofa.  I need to look for an outrageously large hat to match my jammies.  I wouldn't want to be under dressed.  I have visited Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace.  Here are a couple of pages from my scrapbook. 

Yes, that is me all bundled up with the red gloves.  It was freezing cold that day.  Last week, I was inspired to hang out in the craft room and collage this UK themed printer's tray.  You can see in here.

Busy, Busy, Busy

Well, the last time I showed stitching, I had started Sophia's Sampler. I didn't get far. As you can see from my new blog header, I stitched a "Scarlett" house which I plan to use for my designs logo. Of course, Scarlett is the top dog on the house, with Ruby and Henry Blue on the lower levels. Please be patient with my blog...I'm making changes , and things may be different every time you stop by until I get it right. When I'm not busy blowing up my blog and trying to get the designs that I've come up with finished, I've been enjoying Jenny Bean by the Scarlet Letter. The fabric is 40ct. vintage Black Forest from Lakeside. It sort of looks bluish in the photo, but it's closer to the chart color. The first couple of stitches were kind of weird, but eventually my eyes adjusted, and now I can see it with no problem. The poor guy is going to get a face lift. I forgot to add his cheek color and eyebrows and he looks like he borrowed hi wife's lipstick. He'll look better next time.

As if three dogs weren't enough trouble, these two ducks have adopted me. Meet Dave and Roseanne. This is the third year in a row that they have stopped by every day on a regular basis. I am a sucker for all wildlife, so naturally they get fed. The female will walk up the sidewalk almost to the front door, but Dave hangs back. We used to have real neighbors named Dave and Roseanne. They moved away, and then moved back to our community twice. So, I decided to name them in their honor since they keep returning. It makes no sense to you, I'm sure. They even brought family and friends with them on one of their first visits this year. I counted eighteen Mallards in the front yard. It was crazy.