Pearls and Lace Thursday #83 Redwork And Keeping a Promise

 

I've been really busy!  We have two litters of puppies that demand a lot of time, a 50th Anniversary renewal service and reception for some very dear, sweet friends, traveling a bit, and a funeral too.

Busy but very sweet...lots of family and friends.

And in the evenings, I have had this project in my hands.  I've done a lot more on it as you can see, but it's still far from finished!

Do you ever make a promise?
I made a promise almost two years ago to complete a project for someone, someone who had promised to complete the project and was in the process of doing so, but couldn't finish.
I promised, and now they're complete.
All four of them!
I didn't do the majority of the work, in fact it took years from what I've heard from start to finish.
Oh, and I still need to iron them...
but here they are!

The very palest roses were embroidered by the hands of the original woman, a long time ago.
Another pair of hands picked up the work where she had to leave off, and when those hands could no longer work on the project, my own hands went to work on them.
Only the darkest pink flowers were completed by me, and so three pairs of hands have lovingly worked on them.

I will get them in the mail shortly, but wanted to share with you some of the things I've been working on the last few weeks.

I'll be sharing this post with some of the parties I have listed on the sidbar so be sure and check them out!

Pearls and Lace Thursday is here again (finally!) after two weeks off, and I am already thinking about what to share with y'all next week.

I have been looking at French embroidery blogs the last few weeks.  Oh my!  They are incredible!  I so hope to be able to do some of the lovely projects they've done over there! 

Join the party if you'd like, and thanks to you all for your sweet comments even when I've been too busy to respond much.  AND, for those of you who left comments on the last post with helpful topics for me to try to make my photo skills better, a huge hug!  I have tried some of the hints, and am working on others!

Perhaps someday I'll get it all right!

Link your post to the linky below and I hope you all have a blessed week!

Doni

Pearls and Lace Thursday #82 A Few Finishes

I've shown you my now finished redwork (previous post) of which I thoroughly enjoyed working on.  I decided I was a big girl now and could graduate to a finer sized weave of material, therefore making the aida cloth no longer my favorite.  I feel like a child with a cardboard laceing toy with that aida now!!

But, before my official graduation, I wanted to show you what I finished in January.

I apologize for the terrible photography...more on that at the bottom of this post.

But, also sorry for the wrinkled pieces!  I have a hate/hate relationship with my iron.

I've also included a simple needle keep that I made out of an old bit of quilt.

I am having a problem with my vision it seems....every time I take a picture with my Nikon, I look at it from the screen on the back of the camera.  It looks clear and crisp.  THEN, I go to the computer, tranfer the images, and they look BLURRY!!!

What's the deal???  Is it me?  or could it actually be the Camera?

Maybe it's the editing software.  I don't know, but I'm depressed about it.

Do any of y'all have problems with your camera editing software?  In fact, could you please tell me what software you use?  I have this wonderful camera, a Nikon D5000

It's like putting a sports car into the hands of a 6 year old I know, but still, shouldn't I be able to take some good photos by now?  I mean, I've had it for over a year!!

I don't know how to use it to its full potential, but at least sometimes I get a few good shots.

What really makes my day go south though is when I 'think' I've taken some good photos and then I get to my computer. 

I've been using an old software edition from my old Kodak easyshare camera.  It was fine.  But when I went to try to use the Nikon software that came with that camera, I just couldn't figure out the editing.  No where does it let me crop, adjustments of photos are few, and I'm at a loss as to what to do.

So, my question to you is, what software is the least expensive, and the easiest to use???

I went to the office supply store near us (45 minutes away!), and Photoshop software made me loose my appetite.  Here I was all ready to shell out some big bucks (@50 of them), and lo and behold, they wanted my first born son and my right arm for the LEAST expensive version!!!

When I took the photo of the sampler above, the picture looked clear to me in the screen on the camera back.  I even showed it to my husband to PROVE that I could take a clear picture.

 I guess I'm just getting old.  These bifocals are a pain too.  I finally am getting used to wearing them, and I haven't fallen because of them (after a year and a half it's about time I am used to them!), but they are a real pain.

Well, enough of that.  If any of you have any suggestions, I would truly appreciate them!

If you'd like to join me for Pearls and Lace Thursday this week please add the url code of your post to the link below.  I've really had fun doing these, but I'm getting tired people.  I think this might be the last one for a while, so I'd like to thank you all for joining the party and making it so much fun to blog.

I hope you all have a wonderful week!

Blessings, Doni

Pearls and Lace Thursday #81 Red Notions Love

After telling you all last week that my favorite color growing up was RED, I decided to do a post not only about red, but about what I've been up to lately!

I've been cross-stitching again!

I pulled out the flosses, aida cloth, magazines and books.  I found all my old hoops and needles, and a number of unfinished works (finished 2 of them!!), and now I've started the redwork sampler you see here.

I started this red sampler while I was waiting for an order of floss and material to come in so that I could actually get started on a DIFFERENT sampler.  I liked this one fine, but I can't wait to finish it so I can start the other!!!  Am I strange?

In the picture above, you can see a number of things that I've made over the years.  The smallest heart pillow, the plaid pillow, as well as the lacy pillow and crocheted roses!  The embroidered rose scarf was made by my dear birthmother.

Red.  Deep dark red.  Not that bright red, but garnet red.  Another favorite!  I have so many colors that I'm partial to...do you?  Or do you just favor one??

Be sure and have a look at the parties I love posted on my sidebar...I'll be joining with some of them this week to share this post.

Please join me now for Pearls and Lace Thursday!  It's time to add your url code to the link below.  I have been having a blast going by and reading each of your blog posts, and I've found some brand new friends along the way!  Also, if I have not left you a comment on your blog, it is ONLY because of the blogger problems OR there is no place to leave a comment!!!  I've loved each of your posts.   Thanks to each of you for joining me, and a hug to each of the newest followers that have come by to visit!

Blessings, Doni