Birthday Wishes

Good Evening Everyone!!

All of you who have known Homespun Elegance

for a long time, know Faye.  She has worked with

me forever.  She is the backbone of everything

here.  I couldn't produce all of my designs 

without Faye.  She stitches, proofs publications,

does all the billing, shipping, listening to me,

planning with me, etc.  I could go on forever but

you get the picture.

Faye's birthday is is July 2.  She won't be

here that day, so we had a little celebration

today.  Join with me in wishing Faye a

wonderful birthday.  I am not at liberty to

divulge her age.  That will remain our 

secret.  She is younger than me and I 

don't like that, but what can I do.

I cannot take credit for the cake, but it certainly was

good.  A pedestal cake plate and a sweet rose

dress it up and hopefully make up for my lack

of cooking.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, FAYE.   I WISH

YOU MANY, MANY MORE HAPPY

AND HEALTHY YEARS.

LOVE, SANDRA

July 4th Offer

Good Afternoon Everyone!

I've been going through stuff in my storage unit/

warehouse, the upstairs in my garage, my

little shed, and my basement ~~ 

all of which are filled with stuff left

from my shoppe.  We have been closed about

2 1/2 years now.  It does not seem possible.

But what seems even more impossible is that

I haven't gotten rid of all of this stuff.  I am still

paying rent on the warehouse space and that 

has to stop.  This is silly.  So, in my spare time,

and who knows how much spare time I can

possibly have, I want to start having a

HOMESPUN ELEGANCE YARD SALE

every now and then.  This will be a random

event, but every now and then I will offer

you something at a really good price and 

I hope I will find someone who wants it.

Today will be a 

4th of July Offer.

I have several of these prints.  They are

from the original watercolor painting that

I did. 

Each print is $6.00 and if you want a frame

to go with it, the total for the two is $34.00.

I will not put the print in the frame, you will

have to do that.  The print will have an 

applied finish, so you do not have to have

glass to cover it.

The print measures 5" X 8".  

This is a special price on the frame, only

offered with this print and

does not include shipping.

XXXXXXXXXX

This design is also available in cross stitch.

PATRIOTIC LANDSCAPE

Just email me if you are interested.  I take Paypal,

personal checks, Visa, and MC.

Hope everyone is having a great day.  Must get back

to designing now, so I will talk to you later.

Many Happy Stitches,

Sandra

Thank You

Good Morning Everyone!

This is a picture I forgot last night.  My 

sister, Carla, crocheted this beautiful baby

blanket for Avery.

Thank you for your wonderful comments both

on the blog and the emails that I am receiving.

Hollis had a vision of what she wanted.  It took

work on her part to find everything, but she "did 

good".   Some of you asked where she got things.  

The rug and the prints came from the internet. 

 I agree, the rug was just the finishing touch she was 

looking for.  The prints are so cute and she just put 

them in great big white frames with a mat.  So a 

little print became something special.  

The old corner cupboard she bought years ago

for hardly any money.  All it needed was a new

coat of paint.  The cute little table beside the

chair was Paul's and he agreed to let us paint

that too.  The chair was a find at IKEA, as

well as the curtains.  If you want  beyond 

reasonably priced curtains that is the place to

go.  That great mirror came from Hobby Lobby.  

Hollis is a shopper and a bargain hunter

like her mom.  We have fun looking for a deal.

Anyway, thanks again. 

Sandra 

Avery's Stuff

Good Evening Everyone!

Some time ago I promised an update on the things

I have been making for Avery and his nursery.

Well, I think the nursery is finished.  We have had

the most wonderful time planning his nursery and

making it all happen.  Now, all we need is Avery.

Hollis is due 4 weeks from today, and according to

her,  not a moment too soon.  Me too, I just want to

meet this little guy.
~~~~~~~~~~

Here are some of my projects for Avery.
Everywhere you see something that had to be sewn 
by machine, I have to thank my wonderful friend Ethel.
I did all of the hand work and then she put it together
for me.

Three little bears made out of a sample of decorator

fabric.  The colors were just perfect.

I cut all of the birds from wonderful scrap booking

papers and hung them from a branch from our woods.
When the fan is on they move just slightly.  They
have different papers on each side, so hopefully
he will be fascinated by them.

The fabric Hollis chose for his room has tiny butter cream

dots.  I used them as my guide and did rows of 

Colonial Knots within the outline stitched "A".

Then I hand quilted the three layers together.  It was

my first quilt.

The receiving blanket is reversible flannel,

with polka dots on one side and stripes on the

other.  An outline stitch was used for his name.

Hollis found this neat rack, but of course the finish

just wouldn't do.  So I used the wall paint and rubber

stamped the rest.

The stool was so much fun to do.  I am thinking of
doing this as a cross stitch pattern.  What do you think?

And here is his room. A real labor of love.

 Sasha., Hollis' cat, loves his room, but will

she love Avery!!  I think we may have a 

jealous cat on our hands.  The beautiful dust

ruffle and sheet were made by Ethel.

Another view.

Here is the top of the sweet armoire that Hollis found.  
Isn't the detailing great?  When
she bought it the finish was white with pink feet.
Needless to say, it had to be painted.
Hope you enjoyed my little tour.  Not exactly cross
stitch related,  but now you know why I haven't had as
many new designs as usual. 
I'll be back with cross stitch next time.
Many Happy Stitches,
Sandra

All Gone

Good Afternoon Everyone,

Thank you so much ~

all the boxes are SOLD!!

Many Happy Stitches,

Sandra

Fancy Friday

Good Morning Everyone!!

I found something in my Doll House (shed in 

our backyard) from the stash from my old shoppe.

I have three of these little paper mache boxes that

I decoupaged with a print of one of my

paintings.  The boxes are then glazed for that

"prim" look.  They measure 4" square and 2"

deep.  Just in time for your July 4th decorating,

I give you ~

XX  CROW PATRIOTIC  XX
($15.00 ~ this includes shipping)

Note the "garland stencil".  Two of the 

boxes are adorned with this design.

The first person wanting a box gets to choose

the stencil they want.

Fill with some of your stitching necessities

and tuck in anywhere.  Note the chenille in the

box.  That is "Cinnamon" chenille by

R & R Reproductions.  You will be seeing a lot

of these fabulous trims on my designs.

When I was in Nashville this past February, I

discussed with Ann and Pat of R & R fame,

if it would be possible to get the cotton or wool

tape that was used so much years ago.  I

think they are working on that.  Cannot wait~

the possibilities for use are endless.

If you would like one of my boxes, I take

Paypal, Visa, MC, and personal checks.

Just email me.

I hope you have a great weekend filled with

"Many Happy Stitches",

Sandra

Sneak Peek

Good Evening Everyone!

The color of my type should give you an idea of

the theme of my sneak peak.   It is getting to be

that time of year.   I always find it difficult to think

Christmas, but it a necessary evil of this industry -- we

must have time to get these designs stitched!!!

So I have persevered and hopefully will have these

2011 Annual Ornaments

available in a few weeks.

I hope I have intrigued you with these tiny glimpses

of what is to come.  

Many Merry Stitches,

Sandra

Mistake about Cookie Cake

Good Morning Everyone!!

Hollis just told me that it is the

 ~~JULY~~

 issue of Martha Stewart, not JUNE.  The good

thing is that the June issue is no lomger available.

I'm sorry if you have been out looking for it.

I hope to be back later today with a few

sneak peaks.

Have a great summer day!!

Sandra

Recipe

Good Afternoon Everyone!!

I am going to share with you the recipe that Hollis

used to make her Dad's Father's Day Cake.

It is a Martha Stewart recipe (June issue),

but she adapted it and it was wonderful.

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE

ICEBOX CAKE

(This cakes needs to sit in the refrigerator overnight

or if you make it early in the day, it might be OK

by evening.  It softens after sitting and can be cut

as a cake.)

Instead of making the homemade cookies, Hollis

just used a roll of refrigerator cookies and baked as

directed on the package.  If she wasn't 9 months pregnant, 

she might have considered making scratch cookies,

 but that wasn't happening now.   

If you want the original recipe you will need to buy

the June issue of Martha Stewart, but here is what

Hollis did.

First of all she only did half the recipe and it will

easily make eight slices.  It is very rich, so a small

piece is just right.

2 cups heavy cream

4 ounces light cream cheese, softened

2 TBSP sugar

1 roll of cookie dough

Garnish - Chocolate shavings

Whisk together cream and cream cheese

in a chilled bowl until soft peaks form.  

Add sugar and whisk together until stiff

peaks form.  Refrigerate until ready to use or

 about 3 hours.

She used a small cake stand.  She covered the

bottom of the stand with a layer of cookies and

 poured on a cream layer.  Hollis made smaller and 

smaller layers, but Martha's recipe shows the 

cookies stacked evenly.  (Do not come out to 

 the edge with the cream.) She continued doing

layers of cookies and cream, until she used

up the cookies.  Make sure you reserve a

little cream, so you can put some on the

top.  Sprinkle on your chocolate shavings.

Cover loosely with plastic wrap and store

in the refrigerator. 

Martha's recipe is more complicated and

certainly makes a much larger cake, but

this was just fine for us.

Hope you enjoy!!

Sandra  

Had To Share

Good Morning Everyone,

I just had to share the dessert that Hollis made for

her dad, Lehmer, for Father's Day.  I asked her

permission to share this photo.  Her response was

"I guess...if you're trying to embarrass me...it's so ugly".

This recipe came from the June issue of Martha Stewart's

magazine.  It may not look like her cookie cake, but it is

beyond delicious.  She made it Sunday morning

and you are suppose to make it the day before so all

of the "creamy sauce"soaks into the layers of chocolate

chip cookies cookies.  OMGoodness!!  This will absolutely

destroy any diet that you might be on, but who cares.

Please forgive the quality of the photo.  She sent this to

me on her cell phone.  I wish I had taken a picture 

before we cut into it.  

You really do need to make it the day before or at

least in the morning, if serving at night.  Then it will

cut really well.
I left the recipe at Hollis', but if anyone wants it, I'll
put it on the Blog in a day or two.

Have a delicious day!
Sandra

Fancy Friday At Last

It's A "Fancy Friday" At Last!!

I should have never started my "Fancy Friday" idea.  I

was so excited about doing it and then becoming a

Grandmother took over.  I'm so sorry for not doing 

this as often as I wanted.  Anyway, it will definitely

now be an occasional thing, but hopefully, it will be 

worth waiting for.  There are so many things to 

offer you.  My little "doll shed" is full of things

left from my shoppe days, as well as a storage 

unit (which I really need to stop renting), and the

upstairs of my garage and my basement.  Can you

believe this?  I really need to have a massive

Homespun Elegance Yard Sale.  It is in my 

plan for maybe next Spring.  I hope some

of you live close enough to come.  In the mean

time I will muddle through offering a few things

on Fridays and on Etsy.

XXXXXXXXXX

~~This is my Hanging Stitching Caddy~~

Made from an unfinished piece that I grain painted.

It measures 13 1/2" high, 5 5/8" wide, and 1 1/4" deep.

Perfect to hang next to your stitching chair, or just

anyplace that you would like to display some

favorite stitching stuff.  The pincushion is made from

a "vintage" coverlet.  I poured the little waxer from

bees' wax.  

Linen, floss, and scissors are not included.

~~$48.00 which includes the shipping.~~

If you would like my Stitching Caddy, I take Paypal

(need your complete email address), Visa, Mastercard,

and personal checks.  Just email me and I will get 

back to you.

Many Happy Stitches,

Sandra

New Designs Are Ready

Good Evening Everyone!

I hope this message finds everyone well this evening.

We just had a big thunderstorm.  It didn't last very long,

but we got some much needed rain.  This area is in

dire need, while other areas of the country are flooding.

It makes no sense.

XXXXXXXXXX

I am in a mad race to get a lot of designing done before

Avery gets here.  Hollis' due date is July 27.  Can you believe 

that!!  I'm afraid my days of constantly designing   

are quickly coming to a halt.  I used to thrive on this kind

of pressure, but not any more.  My days are just too

full and my lists too long.  My annual Christmas ornaments

are being stitched though.  That makes me happy.  My 

Cinnamon Stick Christmas design is also being stitched,

so I am making headway.  Wish me luck, please.

XXXXXXXXXX

The long awaited reveal of 

"Mary Lamin's The Lord's Prayer" 

Reproduction sampler.

I hope you love it as much as I do.  Mary Lamin definitely

had a unique way of using color, or very little access to

fibers.  We'll never know, but it certainly resulted in a

unique and special sampler.  The original was found in

New England and was probably stitched mid 19th C.

XXXXXXXXXX

Next is 

"Blessed Liberty"

The Olde Brass "Flag" button and the frame are

also available from me.  

I hope you see something you like.  Both of these

designs will be shipped to our AUTO shoppes

and our distributors early next week.  If you cannot

find them, just let me know. 

"Many Happy Stitches",

Sandra 

The Winners Are . . .

Good Evening Everyone!

Meet Elsie, our little ferrel cat, who loved to spend 

her lazy, hazy summer days in my window box.

This was her favorite spot until I planted my flowers

a weeks or so ago.  I had to fill around them with

rocks to keep her out of the boxes.  I'm sure she is

one irritated kitty now.

XXXXXXXXXX

It is so much fun to announce winners when I do one

 of my "Give Aways".  Thank you to everyone for leaving

such wonderful comments.  I read every one of them and 

you are all so kind.

XXXXXXXXXX

I have emailed the first two winners and they are

Carol of Stitching Dreams blog

and

Patty C of Hanging On By A Thread blog

Please email me with your shipping address.

The third winner is Natalia of Stitching-4-Joy blog.

I do not have an email address for you, so I'm hoping

you read this.  I need a complete address for you as

 well.  Tomorrow I will send each of you the publication

  you won and hope that you enjoy it.

Many Happy Stitches,

Sandra

Give Away Time

Good Evening Everyone!

It has been a miserably hot summer day here

in Fredericksburg.  A great day to stay inside

and work on something special for Hollis' baby

shower on Saturday.  Also, putting the finishing

touches on a new patriotic design "Blessed Freedom"

 and the graphs for my three annual Christmas ornaments. 

 Here is a little sneak peak of the patriotic design.  It

will be released soon along with "The Lord's

Prayer" reproduction sampler.

XXXXXXXXXX

I am way overdue for a drawing, so I decided to

give away one of each of my new publications 

shown below.

If you would like to put your name in, just leave

a comment on this post.  I will make random

drawings Monday night.  Good luck!!

XXXXXXXXXX

Back to something special for Avery.  

Have a great evening.

Sandra

New Stuff

Good Morning Everyone!!

This is a quick post this morning.  Just wanted to let you
know that I am still around.  So, so busy with all manner
of things.  Between the yard, baby things, and designing,
there is never much left of the day.  

I did manage to ship my Auto, so my new designs should be 
available for you soon.  If you cannot find them, they are listed 
on the right side panel and I hope to have them in my Etsy 
Shoppe soon.  Just email me if you need something.

First are the 9th and 10th designs in 

"A Halloween Year".
For your Halloween stitching pleasure, here are --

"Spooky Feline and Friends" and 
"House on Pumpkin Hill"

For all of us who love patriotic themed needlework,
and sheep, here is
"Delivering Liberty".
Of course, all of the charms, buttons,
and the frame are available from
Homespun Elegance.

XXXXXXXXXX
Have a happy day everyone with
"Many Happy Stitches,"
Sandra