Cross-Stitch Queen

I admit it, I'm a crafty person. Not crafty as in "sly," but crafty as in making homemade gifts for friends and family. Every year I make a stack of ornaments for people close to me, mostly cross-stitched, but sometimes I'll try something new--like last year when I stamped ceramic ornaments.

I also do a few larger pieces a year. One year I might make something for sister Heidi, the next something for this friend, or another. Prompted by a posting of fellow Diva Luara over at RD, I thought I'd share a few of the pieces I've cross-stitched.


The cat in this first pic was done for a friend who has two male black cats--and this scene "Where's Mine?" is reminiscent of their first year. The tree came down before Christmas, with help from her little "angels". The white bear was for her mother, who loves white teddy bears. And yes, that is a real twig forming the hanger (Told ya I was crafty!). The giraffes were part of a Noah's Ark series done for another friend, who collects NA. I'm finishing off that series this year, but won't post that pic until after New Year's Eve, as we all get together that evening to celebrate Christmas and the New Year.

These two were done for friends in 2003 but, alas, without digging up a journal from that year, I can't remember exactly who they went to. This is the primary reason I never make the same pattern twice (except in the case of making one for a specific memory involving two or more friends, such as the Thomas Point Lighthouse ones made in 1998 for me, Kim and Kathy) -- to avoid accidentally gifting someone with something previously made for them. Or for someone else, for that matter. Considering the fact my cross-stitch pattern books and leaflets take up more than one tower bookcase, I know I will never run out of ideas. There are so many different books I rarely find anything new I *have* to have and do some serious waffling when I do find something new that I like. I really need to concentrate on what I already have, though.

I know this one is a little harder to see, but apparently I don't have a larger version as thought. It was made this past March for a friend's birthday, and is called "Tech Support." It's appropriate for her as she is a computer programmer, her two black cats are constantly causing mischief, and her favorite color is purple. The computer screen says, "Program error; Call for help; You've got a real problem; Restart." The books are "A tale of Two Kitties" and "Of Mice and Men." It's part of a series, of which there are nearly 100 different designs. Those cats seem to get into quite a bit of trouble!

This batch, also from 2003, is an easy one to identify, as they were made for specific likes of certain individuals. Pooh went to Kat, Eeyore to Nina, and Mickie & Minnie to one of my sisters.