Thankya ladies! I will be exchanging a Prairie Schooler spring or Easter themed piece with:
- Cheryl
- Donna
- Ela
- Sharon
- Nath is still thinking :)
End of February is the deadline if it's an Easter piece, just to make sure both partners receive it in time, or let's say March 15 if it's a spring themed design!
I am delighted to swap with you!
I'd love to exchange a Prairie Schooler spring/easter piece with someone, or two someones, or three someones... thinking of a deadline date of February 15 to make sure we get it in time for Easter, but could be later, just a spring piece...
That could be any form of nice finishing with that theme.
Anyone? :)
I made this little ornie for myself before Christmas. I bought several PS freebies on ebay in December, those I didn't have yet and wanted to have. I'd always had eyes on the ABC Santa, and I had enormous pleasure to stitch it and finish it before the holidays. I'm pretty sure I'll stitch it again several times for friends, because I find it incredibly cute.
Okay, I admit. I changed colors again :) I picked bright overdyes to achieve a joyful, attractive effect.
I also changed the Santa's smile to an obvious happy one! There's something about the PS Santas' smile that make me perceive them as sad or upset, so I tend to adapt them :)
One of the many, many reasons why I like Prairie Schooler designs is how easy it is to play with them: change colors, adapt patterns, play with different floss types.
Here is my version of one of the Prairie Schooler Blackwork angels done in color. I used WDW overdyes and silks plus gold Kreinik braid on a piece of Lakeside Linens. I also added gold Kreinik beads. Didn't have time to finish it into an ornament before Christmas, though. But I love the result.
Sometimes I feel for ripping my digital camera into pieces. It just won't take a good shot in bad light - or maybe I should be more awake at mornings LOL! I usually take pictures of my cross stitch in the evening and then it is very difficult if not impossible to get an acceptable one.
Anyway, just for the record then, here is LHN's Capuccino I stitched some weeks ago.
Ela sent me a true gem by Blackbird Designs, a designer I especially like. I awwwed and aaaahed and danced around this beauty... This must be one of the most gorgeous pieces I have received from stitching friends. The photos simply don't do it justice. The finishing is a masterpiece. I wish I could let you touch and sense how soft it is, how flawless. Each element is so well matched - the color of the banding and of the back fabric (oh, how I love this sampler fabric!) play so well with the floss and the cream linen. It's one of those pieces you leave out in the room so you can see it all day long and have others drool over it. I love it, love it, love it. As you can, Ela put her name and the year in the bottom part. I usually am not so fond of having initials and such on a cross stitch piece unless it's done in a very nice way, and this has been done so. It will always remind me of her!
Ela also sent me a pattern from my wishlist and a big pack of delicious sweets... they disappeared... immediately!
Now I can only hope we can meet the next time I visit my brother in Switzerland. Lyon is not so far accross the border and I have family in the region. I'm thinking of a time where there will be a cross stitch fair... It's been some time since I've been thinking of attending one in France.
Now, I invite my dear visitors to see the lovely package I received from Mylene... I loved the magazine, the ornament (I hang it immediately on the branches I bought, see below - I was away at Christmas but wanted to have a Christmas feeling at home before leaving) and the hand-made card - Mylene is worldwide known for her cards :) She also remembered that I liked the fizzy cording she used on an ornament last year and now she sent me a pack! Thanks so much, Mylene!
Nath' sent me a super lovely French chart for a biscornu together with the silk skein needed to stitch it and that kicked me out of my scare of biscornus. I had bought this Spring/Summer biscornu pattern from Giulia Punti Anticchi a while ago, because I absolutely loved it, but I shyed out. Biscornus intimitated me. Why? I can't say. I thought they are very complicated to assemble and that I wouln't like going through endless complex instructions. And then I thought that okay, I should start with the one I have, learn how to do it right and then stitch the one from Nath - ideal, with no flaws. Oh how easy it is to make a biscornu. How could I think otherwise? :)
This is the spring face, with the special four pins on it, and it is stitched with Crescent Colours. 
Here is the summer face:
And no, I wasn't able to get an explanation from my camera why colors are different on both pictures!
Now I just need to find suitable buttons for the biscornu from Nath' and off we go to the second one! :)
Nath is just the friend you want to meet and stay with... another sunray that came my way in 2007 via this blog in 2007... I trust this friendship will last! :)
And I love to spoil people I love... I sent Nath a package with several charts I've already stitched, the 2007 Christmas JCS, a tatted ornament, a yard of Christmas fabric, a skein of silk... You can see it here.
Time to think about a spring giftie! :)
Pwaaaaah...... looks like I forgot the pictures at home on another pendrive.... so that's all I can show today... but I'll edit this post in just a few days after I return home!!! Must have been the usual rush before Christmas...
Elisabeth is one of the most lovely cross stitch friends I met through Internet, be it via a yahoo group or this blog. We've been chatting offlist and offblog for a long time about all the usual things two woman chat about :) And we were planning a private exchange for some time, but then life got in the way, Elisabeth moved into a new house, I broke my hand... so we were delighted to be partnered for the Prairie Schooler's Christmas exchange. I already posted my exchange piece some weeks ago, but now see the absolute beauty Elisabeth stitched for me!
This is one of the PS Angels which colors she adapted and added beads. Oh, the delight on my face when I opened the package... Oh the joy! Those who had the pleasure to received something her talented hands made know that her work is a true masterpiece... I borrowed the first two pictures from Elisabeth's blog because my camera wouldn't do justice to this beautiful piece.
What a superb finishing on the back... sorry for the blurred picture!
Heh, wasn't I spoiled? Elisabeth sent me Isabelle's Vaultier 'Red and white Samplers' book which I had eyes on for quite some time... And a little heart ornie, and the cutest notepad with dogs (we both love dogs!), and this fantastic French ribbon that looks like a measuring tape, which I'll save for that future very special project, plus a little heart button and a huge package of chocolate candies, a local delicacy from Elisabeth's town. Now, guess why I couldn't make a picture of them some days later! LOL
Did I tell you I surprised myself by making little happy sounds when opening all the wrapped-up packages... like a little child. Oh yes, I was happy, I was delighted.... Thank you so much again, Elisabeth, this was a wonderful exchange!!
