Sweet Easter Sampler Freebie Pattern--Renamed and Reloved

                                                                      

Sweet Easter Sampler
copyright 2013   
designed by Feathers in the Nest

Here's a free Easter freebie that I had on the blog a couple of years ago. I'm sharing again as I stumble upon it looking for a few of the many I designed.  I can't believe Easter is almost here!!! However, our Dogwood trees are budding now here in the North Georgia mountains.


I actually have many other designs I made on my previous computer that took a crash. I have to take it to a local guy to get fixed and retrieved as my cross stitching and designing bug still grabs my heart sometimes.

I hope you had a Sweet Saturday. In the next week, I will be fiddling through my stitching stash. I'm in the mood for cross stitching or picking up one of the many WIPs I have. Thank goodness for Mighty Brite magnifier standing floor lamps!

I think when the weather starts to look like Spring, I want to put down some of my knitting and work on cross stitch samplers. SPRING ones! Although I've added another 2 squares today while watching movies with Mr. Darcy.

So, I thought I would share this little design again if you are interested in a cute quick stitch!

If you stitch this one up, message me or leave a comment, and I'll show a pic on the blog.

Till later,

Jennifer

EOS Lip Balms, Easter gifts and knitting facial cloths

Can you believe it's April into the second week already? This year is flying by. I am hoping you are having a beautiful Sunday afternoon today and with your loved ones near. Sunday afternoons are some good stitching times. I know some people are fortunate to take that nap after lunch but I don't think I've ever, I just can't as I'm already up. I do take advantage of the downtime to read or stitch or watch a good movie.

 

Miss Abbie is well.....Miss Abbie. She is so spoiled. I do want to give you a chuckle that last week, I kept hearing a little tapping on the floor and I just thought in the blanket she had one of her chewie bone things. Well, nope. She had my EOS lip balm.

 

EOS stands for Evolution of Smooth

 

in Strawberry Sorbet

 She prefers the Strawberry Sorbet. She has always loved to lick me on my lips when I wear any kind of lip balm since she was a wee baby but honestly? An EOS is pretty large and luckily was not open. I took it away from her and she growled at me. I thought that is strange. Anyhoo, went to do something around the house and came back and found it OPEN and ALL balm gone with the plastic bottom licked completely.

Now this one was a fairly new one so she ate quite a bit of lip balm. I guess she likes strawberries.
I suspected that she would have a little watery poo poo. But nothing. Couldn't even tell she ate it.
In fact she wanted more I think. :0

I just love EOS balms. They are large and soothing to frequently use during the day. The little container design is so pretty, reminds me of Easter eggs in all their colors.

 

 

So if you are looking for an alternative to candy this Easter for a girlie girl old enough to know not to eat one, then they make cute basket goodies.

 

And to really make a little glam basket, include a knitted washcloth in cotton matching the color!!!

 

Just giving out some ideas for the Easter Bunny.

 

Speaking of washcloths. This is my next crafty work-on for me. I wanted to do this last Summer but didn't. I did knit up 3 soft cotton (from Hobby Lobby brand cotton) 3 very small washcloths JUST for my facial cleansing at night. I find that makeup comes right off with a bar of soap before washing.

 

I'm hoping to make 10 of these facial cloths, knitting in different patterns.

I had one in basket weave stitch, one in regular garter, and have yet to make the traditional "Granny Stitch Old-fashioned" one.

 

They are really nice and soft. I use a Clarisonic on my face which has helped my skin amazing. Can't say a negative thing about the clarisonic Mia 2. Don't even know how I lived without it before.

But, when wiping off after the clarisonic, You can really feel so smooth.

 

I'm making my facial cloths only like baby sized washcloths. That is all that is needed for the face alone.

 

I will knit them up in pretty Spring colors that go with my bath and put then clean in a bowl by the sink.

 

I will post some pics of different patterns I've found. Of course Ravelry has SO many for ideas.

 

So, this is what's happening in our spot on the map today. I'm almost finished with my Spring scarf and will show you very soon when I'm done.

 

Home is where my heart is,

Jennifer

 

My Easter Baskets

Happy Easter to all!

 

It's the time of year to be especially thankful for Jesus Christ's resurrection, as in this we have hope ourselves if  we are believers. I certainly feel blessed this Easter surrounded by loving friends, family and the promise of Christ's return one day.

 

I'm so thankful for the gift of creativity, art, and music for these are true blessings in my life.

I'm also thankful for Spring, for in the changing season, the Earth is awakened and it gives all of us promise that even the coldest of Winters will end eventually and reveal a beautiful warm, colorful Spring.

 

Spring!!! 

 New beginnings.

Warm sunshine.

Beautiful colors of flowers.

 Refreshing air.

Baskets.

 

 

What's Easter wthout an Easter basket?

 

Well, in my thrifting store finds this week, I found these two for dirt cheap to hold my stash and yarn, patterns and floss plus it just seemed more like Easter with a basket. Not filled with candy of peeps of which I love but room for hope of the things I love to stash. These were 2 and 3 dollars and I thought especially the first one was worth it. I will hang it on the wall and put flowers or pretty balls of yarn in my sewing area.

 

 

 

 

Both are very clean.

 

 

 

 

The colors along the band I love.

 

 

 

This one is also clean and the handle is unique. It will hold lots of yarn.

 

 

 

 

 

Purl of Wisdom: Don't put all your eggs in one basket!

 

 

Hopping to another project on Easter Weekend!

I'm dragging today literally, worn out from the busy week. I decided to repurpose/ or purpose some leftover yarn I had from the light pink lacy keyhole scarf. I had a little bit left and it is a a cotton/silk blend and so soft, I simply knew it would be used for something. Somewhere. One day.

Staring me in the face in my my knitting basket was this small, little ball of soft pink left and I decided to freelance a small coin purse. I call it Mama's Pretty Penny-Pinching Petite Purse. I remember the days of when I was a little girl and my mama could make a penny go a mile and would keep a little one with her. She worked in a bank for nearly 20 years and taught me everything I know about money and I'll say it has been useful information my whole life as there are some tight penny pinching times like now.

While most of us now use electronic banking and such, I still think that penny purses are so cute and remind me to pinch my pennies. :)

About a month ago at Joanne's Crafts, I found this really nice little top for a coin purse. They came in all sizes. This one is the smallest. I think it was only 1.99 but it's actually very nice weight and quality.

So on this Saturday, my simple mind went to seeing if I could stretch (no pun intended) the little bit of precious yarn I had left into at least the front of a penny purse.

I gathered my materials, and using no pattern, winging it.

 

 

Going to bind off here and make another side to join.

 

Using # 5 wooden needles of which splintered on the end.....ouch!  These are going bye bye after this project.

My stash liner fabbie.

Hoping I can figure this out with sewing in the little holes. I have never done this before.

Keeps my mind busy for sure.

 

and crossing my fingers I have enough to do the back. if not, I will wing something else. :O

So what's up on your Easter weekend? Are you project-hopping too?

Purl of Wisdom today:

For those who have followed my blog for a while, you know how close to my heart the book The Velveteen Rabbit is and has been since a little girl. A few years ago, I purchased some books by an author who actually wrote several others using the velveteen principle for women.

Sometimes and often, I have to remind myself of the Velveteen Rabbit story. Especially at Easter time I think of it when I see all the little bunnies.

Of course the rabbit in the story wanted to know how to "become real". I've drawn many lessons from that simple story. It's truly a story of authenicity and from that we can draw that as the Old Skin Horse said patiently "Real isn't how you are made. It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but really loves you then you become real". It doesn't happen overnight and we get quite ragged and loose in the joints but these things don't matter because "once you are Real, you can't be ugly except to people who don't understand".

That's a powerful storybook for children and adults. 

What matters what is real, is the contentment of our souls. Let's use our creativity to enjoy the ups and downs of life.

Bunny Love sampler~~ for Spring

Bunny Love sampler

designed by Feathers in the Nest

copyright 2012

Jennifer Ann Dalenberg

  Easter stitching pleasure!

colors and linen of choice

size 80 x 130

suggested colors are:

GA Picket Fence--the very light blue

GA Dungarees--boy rabbit coller, and letters Do You Me

WDW Sweetheart Rose---for the pink

WDW Williamsburg Blue--the boy rabbit's pants, 123, and the blue in middle band

GA Harvest Basket--for the brown

DMC white

DMC black 310

DMC 640--for the girl rabbit's shawl

Hope you can see a bit of Spring in your neck of the woods. It's definitely here and soon will be Easter.

I hope your day was blessed with peace and love.

Jennifer

Abbie's Easter day

Abbie already had her favorite toy "Bunny Bob" here but she got a new vest and a matching leash for walks on pretty days like today.

But I think she has to get used to it as she stood motionless after I snapped it on for about 20 minutes.

Finally, she just went to sleep. No walks for Abbie right now.

Nobunny is makin' me walk today.  Aa  Aa

I just want to say thanks

I just want to say thanks for all my followers who are hanging in with me and being understanding when I hit a bump in the road. I feel so blessed. This week has been very challenging. Challenges my faith, my trust, my integrity, my health. I need all the prayers in the world at this time and ironically Easter weekend is here.

I hope each and every one of you have a Happy Easter. I still plan to get together charts for a giveaway but life unexpectedly intervened in a way that is hard to deal with and I had to focus attention to other matters unfortunately. My stitching rut I've got into this past week is inexcusable and I hope is not dissapointing. I will-----and I have a strong will----get past this and get back my creative spirit. Right now I'm focusing on my physical health from all the stress. Just to get basics like eating and sleeping again and finding things I forgot that lift me up in times like these to keep positive energy flowing so that no matter what life brings, I'm ready. God already knows the plans for us anyway. I trust He will be there and I will be able to filter the garble and find what his will is. I learned a lesson. I've put too much energy into one basket and the basket didn't appreciate it at all.

I probably will not be writing too much on the blog this weekend so I wanted to say thanks, I haven't forgotten what this blog is about, the beautiful people all over the world that connect with me in my passion for color, stitching, etc.

As I've said before, life is a journey. And sometimes we journey alone. And sometimes it's actually good to unclutter the mind to get over the hump in the road. Fall 8 times and get up 9.

I hope you have a the most blessed Easter this weekend.

 Easter is a time of hope for me. Hope that there is one person in the world who will never tell us he doesn't have time for us, never shun us away, never be ashamed of us, never stop loving us.

That's what I'm holding on to this Easter. Hope. Laughter. Adventure. And regrouping.

Happy Easter!

I hope you have at least one person who will share it with you and make it special.

I love all of ya'll.

Till later,

Jennifer

Fixing the Easter Basket Giveaway

Wednesday went by in a Flash, literally.....LOL. I digress on that.  And I'm so glad that is over. Fell in bed at 9pm, which is RARE for me and woke up at 9am. 12 beautiful hours of sleep. That is a true blessing for a chronic insomniac! Thank you, Lord!

I'm counting my blessings as when I came home, Body Guard announced that our downstairs furnace has expired. Blew up. Over. Deceased. Don't work. Whatever the words, that means a BIG expense coming our way and doesn't it pick the best times to do this? But I have trust that whatever it takes, God will provide.

I had hoped to fill an Easter basket full of new stitching things for someone special in a giveaway. And guess what?  I have decided to let go (please record this in history as letting go is hard) of some patterns that I have already stitched and need new homes. That's one of my chores today is to spend some time in the studio.
I had already bought a new pair of embroidery scissors and this will be included. In fact, I have 2 new pair!!!!  So this giveaway will be good anyways and life works in mysterious ways sometimes.

I miss making Easter baskets every Easter for my kids since they flew the nest. I think I will enjoy making this one for a lucky stitcher.

I will post later today with what's in it exactly and that's where you will be able to put your postings for a random draw.

So I must get busy in the studio and think of what this bunny is going to put in your Easter basket!

So if you would help me today, leave some names of your favorite designers on this posting to give me a guide. Thank you so much for your comments, they mean the world to me. I LOVE YOU ALL!!!


And for all you bunny lovers like me, here is a design for you to stitch up. The Velveteen Rabbit is my favorite childhood book, as many of you know already so I've been dabbling with some small designs to put in a collection. Remember the Old Skin Horse?  Remember his words of wisdom?  Well this one is dedicated to him.  Also would look cute in a baby's nursery. And when I saw the color Huckleberry.......it's the prettiest teal blue I have ever seen! The patchiness on the little ones is part of the story. If you haven't read the book you can actually read it free online. I don't have any websites handy to insert but google it and you will find it in free format. It's a great read to your children AND for adults. So much wisdom.

The Skin Horse---sampler

designed by Feathers in the Nest

copyright@ 2011

Color chart:

GA Cidarmill Brown (lightbrown)-borders

GA Dark Chocolate (darker brown) eyes, mouth

GA Huckleberry (teal)

CC Peanut Brittle ( the Skin Horse)

GA Adobe (patches on the rabbit)

CC Finley Gold (the cross and the crown)

Have fun and remember leave me your fave designers here for a guide while the bunny is working in the studio today!!!

Jennifer

An Old Fashioned Easter sampler

 

An Old Fashioned Easter

designed by Feathers in the Nest

copyright 2011

suggested colors are:

WDW Teal Frost---Easter and basket

WDW Hickory--inside basket

WDW--Harvest--wording, An Old-Fashioned

CC Heatherleigh-very light lavender--egg

CC Blue Beadboard--egg and tulip

CC Little Pink Peony--Abigails initials (or your choice) and 1 egg

CC Dandelien Stem-darker green egg in basket

CC Frozen Margarita--grass, egg in basket and tulip stems, leaves

CC Purple Toile--darker purple egg in basket and outside basket

CC Secondhand Rose--egg outside basket

CC Antique Lace--lightest pink Egg on grass

CC Finley Gold--crosses and yellow eggs

Hope this brightens your Saturday morning for a quick stitch and using your imagination with it!

fabric suggested is Antique white linen of your choice count

What does Easter mean to you?

This is the time of night when my introverted mind starts wondering, thinking and drawing introspection. Many nights I go out on the back porch to reflect on my day,my week, my journey. Sometimes I realize that I am too introverted.

For some reason, tonight I reflected on the real meaning of Easter and the thought of Jesus being crucified is just aweful but He was doing God's will and He came for one purpose. I often joke about bunnies and humorous antics especially the Easter bunny leaving something at the door but those days are over.
I did thoroughly enjoy fixing baskets. I'm not so sure my kids really enjoyed it but the joy is in the giving.

I read tonight the 7 last statements that He made before He died on the cross. As I read each verse I tried to find meaning of the statement and how to interpret that in my life and they were striking to me and I hope that you will reflect on the meaning of each one because it's so important to reread what he said during those last hours.

The following are the last recorded statements Jesus made while hanging on the cross. If you consider what Jesus said in John 19:26-27 as one statement you will have a list of seven distinct phrases. If you look at these two verses as containing two separate sayings then you have a list of eight.


"Then Jesus said, 'Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.' And they divided His garments and cast lots. " (Luke 23:34)

There are many people that pass our journey that I have come to realize that some folks don't really know what they are doing. Sometimes it's hurtful and rejecting but I think He understood and I'm trying. That's the only way I can make sense of it sometimes.

"And Jesus said to him, 'Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.' " (Luke 23:43)

This verse gives me a promise that one day we will be with Him and He wanted us to know that. This verse makes me feel safe and loved.


"When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, 'Woman, behold your son!' Then He said to the disciple, 'Behold your mother!' And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home." (John 19:26-27)

This verse really struck me as He understood that we all don't agree with our children but mothers should be respected. The relationship goes both ways and the bond is never broken. There are responsibilities we all could ignore, including myself, but this is not what He wants for us. Family is important.

"And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, 'Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?' which is translated, 'My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?' " (Mark 15:34)

In reflecting on this scripture, I realized that even Jesus Himself had a moment that He felt alone and questioned God's purpose. He felt abandoned so he can relate to us all.


"After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, 'I thirst!' " (John 19:28)

Here I interpret that He was human. He had needs and asked for them just like we should be doing every day.



"So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, 'It is finished!' And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit. " (John 19:30)

This is one of the saddest scriptures. He gave up His spirit. Again, He showed understanding that no matter what we do sometimes, there's a time to give up. Our spirits are human.


"And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, 'Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.' Having said this, He breathed His last. " (Luke 23:46)

His very last statement shows that no matter what happens in our life, we are not in control, God is.

These 7 last statements I think held much meaning that we can apply to our daily life. Sometimes it's hard to believe. Sometimes it's easy.

On a serious note, I realize I'm human and make many mistakes but God understands and sent His son to relay many reassuring messages.

I hope your Easter is a safe and happy one!

Jennifer