They're On Their Way...

These are in the mail now and on their way to Marilyn, Terri, Clara and Jody - the last four to receive theirs. I'm so grateful they were patient, and I hope each recipient loves their gift from my heart to theirs.

I work today, but am looking forward to homekeeping (kitchen restocking) for the rest of the week. I'll share photos - and perhaps even a recipe or two! See you tomorrow.

Four to Go!...

Four wee frogs ready to hop to new homes. I didn't show them finished so that they'll be a surprise for the recipients. Three will be scissors fobs and one will be a brooch. I did my best to make each one of (all of) these completely different from the others. 

In total - including the first one I made in class - I've completed fifteen frogs. I think I'll take a break from them for a bit and then I'll make a couple for my Etsy shop later this summer.

I'm going to be baking and canning this week. I need to restock the pantry with hickory syrup, canned mushrooms, pizza sauce, stewed tomatoes, tomato basil soup, my baking mixes (brownies, cake mixes, and corn muffins), and some of my cooking mixes (gravies and spice blends). 

I think I've told you before, but my main goal is to preserve many of the things that we usually buy at the store. With prices skyrocketing and all the additives (some not necessarily healthy), I'm happy to do the work in consideration of both of those things.

It's going to be a busy week, so I'm glad the frogs are done and will be on their way. I can't wait to hear how the last of the giveaway winners feels about theirs.

Three To Get Ready...

One more and they'll be ready to complete and ship! I'll do Number Four this weekend, and plan to do the mailing on Monday. If you're still waiting for your frog, are you excited? I'll let you know when your frog is on its way. 

I'm going to make my morning cuppa and head to my needlework frame. I hope you have a fabulous Saturday!

 

Regal Frogs...

I'm really loving the crowned versions of my goldwork frogs! I had one rosy gold crown, so I decided to make a little girly one. Yes. This one is already assigned to its new owner.

I finished stitching two of the "Charming" frogs, and only have one side and two legs to do on the third.  That leaves one more to finish all the frogs from my giveaway drawing. When it's done, I'll do all the final assembly. Three will be scissor fobs and one will become a brooch. 

I may even finish the stitching before I go to work later this afternoon. If not today, then definitely tomorrow. My plan is to have all of them stitched and made into fobs and a brooch by the end of the weekend. I can't wait to show you more. 

My hands are still hurting, but I'm not going to sit around licking my wounds. Time to soldier on and do what I love, even when it's not easy. I can say that I'm more content when I'm doing what I love.

Definitely makes for a Happy Friday!

PS. I did, in fact, write a post for yesterday. I think operator error set it to publish on the wrong date. I fixed it, but apologize that it didn't go up on schedule yesterday. sigh

This Is More Like It...

Now I'm working "Prince Charming #1" in the correct order as I work toward completion. I'll definitely finish stitching this one today, and then start on the next one. From here through the next three, I'll work them one at a time, as I need more mental continuity as I choose compatible colors for each one.

I do like how this one is turning out. What do you think? I can almost hear the sound track from Rogers and Hammerstein's Cinderella! "In my own little corner, in my own little chair..." or "Do I love you because you're wonderful? or are you wonderful because I love you?" I can see Stuart Damon as Prince Charming, and Leslie Ann Warren as Cinderella. It's definitely one of my favorites!

Well, enough day dreaming. It's time to do a little waltzing with my needle and thread. I'll share more tomorrow. 

Completely Out Of Order...

I'm supposed to do the smooth purls on the "eyelids" of the frog first, but I couldn't wait on this one! I had to figure out how I wanted to attach the crowns and went headlong into securing it to the wee frog's head.

Then I filled it with chippings to see how that would work. Squeee! Isn't he going to be regal? Now I'm ready to do the rest of this one to finish it. Once it's complete, I'll work my way around the rest to finish all of them.

Yes. I'm going to be sitting at my needlework frame today. My hands feel good enough to play with needle and thread, so I'm going to see just how much I can accomplish. Are you as excited as I am?

Finally! Back To This Project...

After taking some time off to spend with Handsome, working ten hours on Sunday, and another six yesterday, I'm finally off "work" until Friday evening. That means I can do some needle dancing and homekeeping - my two favorite things - beside spending time with my husband, of course.

I managed to get this far on the frogs before I had to work on Sunday, and you can see I only got half the legs done on the frog in the 3 o'clock position. I'm couching down the gold super pearl purl, and will finish that one first. I'm also going to determine the placement for the crown on one of the frogs before I go further on that one. 

After I've done that much, I'll couch in the details around the eyes and body before getting down to the sparkly bits. Isn't it fun that each one seems to have its own personality? That will become more apparent as I fill in each their unique colors. 

I admit, the last few work days have me a bit tired, but needlework always restores me. I know this will be a great day. I hope for the same for you!

Dancing With Frogs...

Needle dancing, of course. I accomplished quite a bit yesterday. I took care of all the girls first (Bella, Carly, Claudette and Crystal), ran the vacuum and tidied up around the farmhouse, weeded the corner of the retaining wall (removing the volunteer crown vetch that threatened to kill the plants I put in last summer), and then sat down to stitch for a while.

I managed to add the eyes and "brows" to all the frogs, and then started outlining each one with the gold super pearl purl. I still have two to do, which I'm hoping to get done today. 

I'm going to wait until after our next rainfall to tackle the kitchen garden, as I think it might be a bit easier to pull the offending plants when the ground is softer. Plus, I don't really want to spend the day on my knees before I have to go to work. Perhaps I can get to that tomorrow.

I'd like to get all the outlining finished on these guys first, and then do the detail around the eyes and across their backs done today. Then, I'll fill in each one before moving to the next.

It's hard to believe it's already Friday again. The weather is supposed to be nice this weekend, so I'm looking forward to spending that time outdoors. More work on my frogs first. I'll share my progress tomorrow!

Last Four Giveaway Frogs On Deck...

I've started the last four giveaway frogs that will go to Clara, Marilyn, Terry and Jody! It won't be too long and they will be on their way to each of you! Three will become fobs and one will be a brooch, per their requests. Three will be green, and one will be "stitcher's choice".

These are going to be fun to create for each of you.  I love trying to choose unique color combinations for each one. I hope you'll all enjoy watching them progress! 

I'm back to my regular work schedule now, so I'm looking forward to stitching, canning, and getting our garden under way. I'm going to be updating my Etsy shop this week, too! Working more than that takes away from the homekeeping things I love so much. This is going to be a great week, and I hope you'll follow along.

More Cider and New Colors...

Sorry for today's late post. Last night at work was exhausting, but I'm not going to talk about that today. Brush it off and move on. 

The mail came today with new colors for my goldwork supplies. These are all new bright check purls. I ordered more in the color I used for my corgi brooch (cider), as well as some new greens for frogs. 

I'll be setting up the last four frogs today, and begin working on them so I can get them mailed out soon.

I'm working again tomorrow - yes, Mother's Day - so the kids who work at the store can be with their moms - so I want to make the most of today. Next week, I'll be back to my regular schedule of Tuesdays during the day, and short Friday nights. I'm going to do my best to stick with that so that I can do the homekeeping things I love so much during the summer...canning, gardening, and being here with Handsome. (I saw the light last night.)

I hope you have a lovely Mother's Day tomorrow - whether or not you're a mom, or still have yours with you. Simply take it easy and enjoy the day. Let someone pamper you for a change. You deserve it. I love you and value your friendship, and hope to see you back here on Monday to see what kind of progress I made on my frogs.

My Current Work In Progress...

I began this new froggy on Saturday and then everything went in a different direction. I planned to work on it again Monday night while Handsome was at rehearsal, but there was something in my eyes and it was too blurry for me to work. I know you understand my meaning here. 

I'm going to be working on this one again today after I clean up my sty of a studio and office. I've been neglecting them lately and it's time to put on my big girl panties and stop procrastinating. Once I've done that, I'll sit down with my needle and threads again.

Thank you to everyone who left a comment for me here and on Facebook. I've read each loving, considerate, comforting word you've written and promise to answer each one by the end of the week. You understand that it's difficult for me as this grief is still new. It will get easier with each passing day, and then I'll be able to respond thoughtfully - and hopefully, without blubbering all over my computer keyboard. Please just know how much your outpouring of support has meant to me and Handsome. 

So, for now, I'll deal with these feelings by purging, cleaning, and organizing (again) in my studio. It's how I've always been under such conditions. I'll try not to make all of this weeks posts "Debbie downers", and look forward to sharing more completed projects soon. We'll see what tomorrow brings. I'm being gentle with myself, and needlework has always been my refuge, when I'm not leaning on family. I need to give them a break, too. Thanks again. Really.

Dancing After Dark...

 

I went to see my girlfriend (and hairdresser), Wendi yesterday and went back to my sassy short hair. No muss. No fuss, and Handsome loves it short like this, so I'm good all around. When I got home, I headed straight to my studio to work on the frogs. I stopped shortly before dinner, and then went back to this project after we finished our after-dinner chores.

So, you know me. I don't just sit around most nights. I've been working on a new strawberry sachet. This one shall be an Autumn Strawberry, stitched in all the colors of the leaves outside. Even though we got all that snow for Halloween, there are still a lot of trees clinging to their fall finery, and I hadn't done a piece to celebrate those colors yet. I decided it was time.

That means, I'm frogging around during the day and needle dancing after dark. Just perfect if you ask me. I'll be doing more of this until the winners' frogs are ready to mail out, because I have canning projects waiting for me next week.

I hadn't said anything yet, but Handsome was originally planning to leave for Florida mid-November after my ten week post-op appointment with my surgeon. Instead, he said he doesn't want to be away from me for six months, so he's going to wait until after the first of January - just like last year. Four months apart is long enough for both of us, so I'm extra happy he'll be here with us through the holidays and our anniversary. He'll be playing with four different music organizations while he's there, and they wanted him for the whole season, but that would mean he's sitting on his hands when everyone shuts down for the rest of the month, and with holiday air travel being so erratic (and the fact that I loathe flying anymore), we wouldn't opt for either one of us to fly to the other. 

 

His change of plans means he'll be here to help me with all the lifting required for my canning projects now. I still have thirty to forty pounds of potatoes, some apples, mushrooms and all those frozen tomatoes to process. The tomatoes can hold off until later as they're already frozen, but the potatoes and apples can't wait. I still have to go to the mushroom farm to get those, so I'm good there until later, too.

 

Anyway, I'll be back to working on the frogs today. All the outlining is finished on the four I already have hooped, so I get to start the really fun part next...the sparkly bits. I'll share a photo update tomorrow.  Gosh it's already Friday, and I still have loads to do. Where does the time go? 

Oh, and speaking of time...Don't forget to set your clocks back an hour when you go to bed Saturday night! It's that time of year again, but just to be sure, I'll remind you again tomorrow. 

Gettin' Froggy With It...

Now that I have the Pumpkin Patch pouches out of my head (there are only two left in my shop), I can get back to stitching my wee frogs. The green frogs are padded felt, and the blue frogs are padded dyed wool. That's why the "eyebrows" look like they're two different sizes - optical illusion because one eye has more dark blue on the wool than the other.

Today, I'll add the pearl purl outlines and then fill in the bodies. I'll do the outlines all at once, and then progress to the next step for each one. (Kind of like putting on both socks and then shoes, instead of one sock and one shoe, and then the other.)

I love doing these little guys, and will have them finished when I announce the Gratitude Giveaway winner on Wednesday. The winner can choose how they want me to finish theirs...a scissor fob, brooch, or free standing.

 

 

Remember, the giveaway ends tomorrow, and the only entries that count will be your comments on the original post HERE . You get multiple daily entries by also following me on Facebook and Instagram - but all the comments have to be on the giveaway post. You still have today and tomorrow until midnight left to add more entries, so either click on the link above, or click on the giveaway button near the top of my (right) sidebar over there ---------->

I'm going to have my morning coffee and then I'm back to my needlework. Tag and the girls will be here tomorrow to wish you a Happy Halloween! I'll see you again Wednesday.

Giveaway Time!...

 

Are you ready for a giveaway?

 

I'm so grateful to all of you who read my blog each day, whether or not you comment. If you want to be entered into the drawing for your very own wee goldwork frog, though you'll definitely need to leave a comment for me. The winner may choose to have their frog completed as a scissors fob or a brooch, or simply a stand-alone froggy.

Here are the details:

• You can enter once a day between now and midnight OCTOBER 31st, 2023. The winner will be chosen via Random Number Generator at midnight, and announced on November 1st, 2023.

 

•  Enter once each day if you follow this blog. You must be a follower of my blog to enter the giveaway.

•  If you follow Brynwood Needleworks on Facebook, you can leave a second comment each day.

* If you follow Brynwood Needleworks on Instagram, you can leave a third comment each day.

* BONUS ENTRY if you share my giveaway link on Instagram, Facebook, or your blog! ❤️

• The winner doesn't have to live in the United States. If you win, I'll mail your frog to wherever you live.

 

• ALL comments need to be on THIS post to count. I'll be adding a button in my sidebar that will link back to this post to make it easier for you to find each day to enter. 

 

• Please leave your email with your comment (unless your profile connects to an email) so that I can send a message to you if you win. Comments without emails or a way to contact you will be deleted. If you  want to avoid putting your email address in your comment, you may send me a private email with your name, so I will know how to reach you if you win. (My email link is in my sidebar.)

 

That's it. I won't be replying to each comment on this post, but I'll see them all, and each one will count toward the drawing. 

 

Thanks Again & Good Luck!!