A "kind" surprise! 🐝

A lovely surprise, I won Felicia's @Mouse Potato Designs June giveaway on Instagram!

You can also find her website here.

It was a chart from Kiralyn's Needlearts on Etsy.

She has so many sweet designs, it was hard to pick one.

But I did find one I really liked and this is what I chose, isn't it adorable?!

As soon as I'm finished with my Mill Hill, I'm starting this one. I just need to decide what fabric I'm going to use.

I can't remember if I've asked this before, but do you use Instagram? If you are and I'm not following you, let me know so I can fix that!

I'm astrid.dragonstitches if you'd like to find me.

Fully Finished Gallery ~ June 2023 🖼

Welcome to Rachel's Fully Finished Gallery SAL for June, although I'm late for this month. I've been a little busy, but sadly not because of fully finishing!

Be sure to have a look and see what others have finished this time.

I finished this at a retreat at the beginning of the month. (More about that in another post)

I decided to make one I could "flip" twice a year - one for spring/summer, and then Halloween.

These three are from Shepherd's Bush, I changed it a little bit.

The cat and ghost are from Durene Jones on Facebook. I sort of made up the skull spider's web and wasn't really happy with it, but didn't have time to change it.

You can see them all a little better here before it was put together.

It was a "little" bigger than a Just Nan cube, which is totally unlike me since I like my smalls!

I'd like to think that next time will be better, but somehow I doubt it.

Cross Stitch Camp 2023 ~ June 🐦

I've decided to join in on the Cross Stitch Camp with the Colorado Cross Stitcher.

I saw that Stasi @bee-mused and bee-stitching, had posted about it on her blog and thought it would be fun! I'll post here, but also on my Instagram account.

June is a pattern that includes a bird.

July is a pattern that includes something that grows.

August is to try something new, stitching related.

For June, I've decided to work on the 1990 Santa from The Prairie Schooler, there are actually three birds in this one!

Are you joining in?

It SHORE was a Great Retreat! 🌊

Oh boy, off we go! (Or rather, went!)

This was at the end of April, I'm just a little behind in posting.

The view from the bedroom we were in this year.

Quick walk to the beach, just a little breezy.

The sun before the rain that came for almost the whole weekend.

It started out as a good idea...

... plans change!

Our goodie "bag", complete with flip flop bottle opener and ort bag (thanks, Jane!)

Afternoon stitching.

Don't be mad or sad, Brad/Chad/Thad/whatever his name might be, gets around to everyone!

I got the darn frog too.

Friday's lunch at Wally's, delicious!

The White Elephant exchange, lots of stealing ahead.

The word was SAND and this is what I finally was able to keep! I love the Mill Hill pattern, I've been wanting that one.

This was what I put together, looks like the ice cream melted.

Did you know - a Small Adorable Necessary "Ditty Bag" is a bag especially used by sailors to hold small articles like needles and thread - a perfect addition to what I gave.

Karen and I camped out in the big room this year to stitch.

It was a comfy room, as you can see!

Kelly finished this adorable mermaid blanket, so sad it wasn't for me! 😉  Although I do have one that Gman1 made me a few years ago, so all is good.

Linda and Annette had this piece going around the house for everyone to stitch a little bit. They will then frame it and give it to the owners of the house as a thank you. I stitched the little bucket.

Keep those frogs in one place and away from everyone!

Luckily it stopped raining long enough to get our group photo.

Such fun, I got to join the I ❤ Brad Club!

I had this last year at the retreat, but never started it even though Janis @ Noteworthy Needle explained it to me. This year, she helped me start it and that made a BIG HUGE difference! Are you ready to start yours, Jo?!

I did have a small finish there, Hands on Design, A Year of Celebrations.

I bought a couple fabric pieces, because I didn't think I  had enough at home. 🙄

And then, before we knew it, the weekend was over.😞

Another wonderful time with great ladies. I'm always looking forward to seeing them at the next stitching event!

Fully Finished Gallery ~ May 2023 🖼

Welcome to Rachel's Fully Finished Gallery SAL for May. Be sure to have a look and see what others have finished this time!

This is the Joyful World SAL for May from Maja at The Snowflower Diaries. I tried making the kitties look like our Ming and Maximus, they will have to do!

Here they are in the little shelf.

I finally finished this little guy and decided I wanted him next to me when I'm stitching, so he's on my light.

Maybe next month I'll be more productive?!

And I'm still trying to catch up with blog reading, imagine that.

In my dreams!

 I had a stitching day with "old" friends last month and we had a great time together, it had been a long while.

Oh my goodness, if only my home looked like my friend's collection! Most of these are hers, although some are gifts made by others, including some made by family.

This is a huge cabinet, each shelf filled with treasures.

Baa Baa Black Sheep... in a lovely spare bedroom.

The Shepherd's Bush Sheep Collection was also in that bedroom.

This is "my" room, MERMAIDS!

Misc pieces, including the sea.

All of the rest of these pieces are scattered throughout the house.

How cute are these?!

Everyone needs a BIF - a Bad Influence Friend! 🤣

How's this for a storage/workroom?!

Floss keeper

Just a little bit of fabric in there.

There was another cabinet with WIPs and patterns, but I didn't take a photo of that.

And hey, I actually got a piece finished in between the oohing and ahhing.

Some goodies I got that the others brought for giveaway, I need to get busy!

A wonderful afternoon and already looking forward to our next gathering.