Sunday, February 14, 2016

Cross Stitch and Flowers

Hi there cloud friends!  I hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day! We had a nice quiet one here in the very rainy Pacific NW.  As my title says, the rain has been good for flowers.  Plus the temps have been fairly warm(50's) so things are starting to grow.  After my PT 30 minute walk, I treat myself to a stroll through the yard.
I stitched my second Santa. As I said in my last post, I am trying to do one a month for the tree that I bought.  I am very close to finishing Ann Topley 1802 by The Scarlett House.  It looks very different from the original as I did not use the suggested dark linen.  However, the colors are nice and soft.  I think they would stand out more on the dark fabric but I do like the way this looks.  Ann used lots of colors.  Who knows, maybe she just had scraps way back in 1802!  I am thinking of my next big project.  I am enjoying the rotation of 2 small designs each month (one Halloween and one Santa)  and one big project to work on when the small ones are finished.

 When I said soft colors, they are not this soft.  It is so hard to get a good photo when it is so gray outside! Just a few more days and Ann will be finished.

 I love the rocking horse in this design. 

 That hyacinth flower is coming out of the ground!

 Tulips!

 I have never seen these little guys this early!!!

 Flower buds, not just stems!

 Of course, the beautiful Hellebore's are starting to bloom.  That's more what I expect this time of year.

 This should be lovely in a few days.

 Here's one of my Valentine gifts from my DH.  I look out this window every day.  It is right by the kitchen sink.  We went shopping for these Primroses last week and he did the planting.  I smile every time I look out of that window!


Thank you so much for joining me today.  I hope you all have a great week.  Here in the US , Mon. is a holiday so enjoy President's Day!!

26 comments:

  1. Can't believe you have flowers starting to pop out of the ground. It was a snowy day for us. Your Scarlett House sampler is really pretty!

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  2. What a good husband you have! Your sampler is looking very nice. I'm sure it would look just as nice on a dark fabric too :)

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  3. Isn't it nice to have things beginning to bloom? I am enjoying the mild temperatures - as long as we continue to get rain with it, we should dodge a drought this year.

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  4. Congrats on the second Santa finish!! You made a good progress on your WIP. I enjoyed seeing your garden pics. You got a lovely gift from your husband:)

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  5. Your stitching is wonderful as always.
    Beautiful flowers.

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  6. Ann looks great.
    The PS Santa is nice too.
    What pretty flowers you have already!
    We had a dusting of snow yesterday, which made the roads very slippery.
    What will be your next project?
    Marilyn

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  7. Oh I think Ann is so pretty.
    It is still snowing here right now. Your flowers look great. What a special present from your husband.

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  8. Gee, you definitely have spring weather there!! As I watch the snow melt this morning... Good progress on Ann Topley. You will be done soon, then what? Nice Santa too! Hugs!

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  9. Love that Santa! So nice to see your flowers Barb.. Gives me hope!

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  10. I have done quite a few Santas and love every one!
    Up here the rain has been good for the blossoms too. It seems that everything is starting to bloom....now if it would just stop raining!

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  11. What a pleasure to see all the flowers that are already blooming in your garden. I can see why you always take a stroll through it when returning from your walk. Such a nice gift from your husband.
    Your rotation seems to work great. Nice progress on the sampler and a beautiful little Santa finished.

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  12. What a lovely post with a promise of Spring! Ann looks so pretty on your linen choice, I can't imagine it on darker linen. Cute Santa too.

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  13. Loved seeing the flowers and buds. Never saw witch hazel, what an unusual bloom.

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  14. Ann is such a pretty sampler! I'm looking forward to seeing what The Scarlett House has for the needlework market coming up. Cute Santa finish! And it is so nice to see your beautiful flowers! Nothing but snow and ice here. :)

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  15. I, too, love the soft colours of Ann, well chosen, my dear. Your Santa is looking good and lovely, lovely flower photos - soon be Spring for you.

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  16. Ann is looking great, her colours are lovely.
    Well done on keeping up with the monthly Santas too.

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  17. Flowers are lovely. Stitching looks great - looks like Santa caught an elf ha!

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  18. Since we are still frozen and covered in snow here in the east, your spring photos are especially welcome, Barb! I have always adored primroses and your window box full of those little beauties is just perfect.

    Love the latest Santa and your Sampler is looking lovely, too. Hope the PT is paying off and you are feeling stronger and healthier each day :)

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  19. I love that first sampler and how it looks against that pale background. It definitely catches my eye more than the with the black linen.

    Early spring is here again!

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  20. Stitching is looking good Barb!!! I have been having carpal tunnel troubles so have been doing nothing and it is driving me bananas!!! I try to pick up knitting needles or anything fine and my arms and fingers go into spasm. My years of typing for a living and making bread by hand, I guess. Oh well, I hope it gets better! I have some xstitching to do!!! I can't believe your flowers are up! We have about 3 feet of snow everywhere so flowers are still sleeping deeply underneath it all! I hope your week is lovely!

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  21. Beautiful flowers, Barb, and so welcome in February! Some of my tulips planted in the south facing side of the house are starting to push through, but it'll be several weeks yet before we see any flowers. Keep posting pics of yours so I can get my fix! :)

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  22. So beautiful. It's warm here in Texas but not flower producing warm yet.

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  23. Barb: You are so lucky to have flowers showing their pretty faces, love your Santas, I am doing a SAL and plan on doing an ornament a month till December.
    Love the Sampler it is beautiful.

    Blessings
    Catherine

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