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Wednesday, February 1, 2023

Happy February and a Freebie or Two



Good morning, Sweethearts!!! EEEEH! It's the month of Love!!! Happy February!
From the Graphic Fairy

" I like February for the 

Hints that winter is going away

He seems to whisper in my ear

That soon the birds will sing and play. 

He tells me to get ready 

For warmer weather is on its way. - Lenore Hetrick  "

Country Cottage Needleworks February Cottage

 Today I will be taking down my Winter Decor - well at least some of it. 

Valentines and all things red and pink  will be coming out.  I have a confession to make- I do feel like I am way behind on everything for my Valentines decor should have been up a few days ago, but that is ok. It will get done. 

Tomorrow will be Groundhog Day-  day that is sometimes overlooked , but I do think the groundhog is an adorable critter. 

So what do you think he is going to predict? We have a number of groundhogs that live on the farm. In fact, there is a family of them at the strawberry field. I will have to keep my keen eye out for them . Hmmm ! Shadow or no shadow?   It has been awful warm these last few days so I am hoping for spring . Fingers crossed Mr. Groundhog does not see his shadow.  

Speaking of spring. Yesterday , I began a new spring stitch. It will be stitched up and shared on my blog soon. 

I have a couple of freebies for you if you are interested. 

They are small quick stitches- something you can whip up in a jiffy.  I haven't finished mine yet, but I was hoping to find some small wooden tags to mount them on.  I am keeping my eye out at the Dollar Tree for I am sure they will have the perfect piece soon. 

If you are interested in stitching Love Stamp and Snow Stamp  ,grab the images below. Many of ya'll know but I always encourage you to read my little disclaimer and note about getting my charts. 

NOTE: Normally I have been able to create links to the charts and instructions which were in JPG form. For some reason, recent updates on Google Docs. has prevented me from doing that and I am not able to create a pdf without having to deal with storage issues.  Many dear stitchers say they right click, save the image and then print.  I think some have copied and pasted it to a Word document that they can print off as well. I hope you are able to find a way to enjoy this chart. You will have to click each page to save. Thank you so much for your patience and understanding and for all of the helpful tips and ideas. 

I stitch my little designs for fun and to decorate my home. I feel very blessed by this community and love sharing my little charts, but I am not a professional designer. And I do not have professional software. Thank you for understanding . I am always grateful for your kind encouragement , your visits, and for stitching my little designs.







A little doodle just for you- a little groundhog beside a pot of pansies. 

My February Pansies and Groundhog Doodle  was stitched using DMC 498 using the back stitch. 

Last month I shared a January Snowman Doodle.  Is he not adorable?  I stitched him on a 7 1/2 squared piece of fabric and then trimmed it to 6 1/2" . I framed him with 2" strips . 

I hope to work on the March doodle very soon. 

A QUICK AND EASY CRAFT 

As I was pulling out some of my Valentine's decor, I found these little wax heart cookies that I made over 10 years ago and they still have held up nicely. Guess what they are made of other than wax?   BREAD!  Yep and they still look good.πŸžπŸ•―πŸͺ

  I took a couple of slices of store bought white bread and sat them out on the counter for about an hour to get a bit stiff and then cut out little hearts with a small cookie cutter. I then dipped them in old melted candle wax several times - a bit messy but I enjoy pulling them out each year and sitting them  on the table. I have made some for every season. I can not tell you how many times family members have thought that they were cookies.πŸͺπŸ˜‹πŸ˜€

Well sweetie pies, you have the most fantastic day!!! Thank you for stopping by and ...

As always...

Happy quilting and stitching, ya'll

Melisa

During this season of love, focus on loving those closet to you. Love everyone.

Hugs and Stitches and Warm Winter Wishes !!!πŸ€—❤🧡

Dedicated to my dear sister, Amy . Love and miss you., Amo ❤❤

Ya'll come back now, ya hear ! 

24 comments:

  1. Have fun changing the seasons in your hutch! I don't have your appreciation for groundhogs, they are a nuisance in the hay fields! Have a lovely day with some happy stitching!

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    1. Thank you so much, Gretchen. I have been busy bustling about switching things out all day. Lol groundhogs are little pests in the strawberry fields as well. They like to pick a berry or two. lol. Have a great evening.

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  2. Thank you so much for sharing your patterns with us. That groundhog doodle is darling! The snow and love stamps are so cute - will you be doing one every month?
    Blessings

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    1. Oh thank you so much, Donna. I had a lot of fun working on both. I have plans to work on pieces for each month. On my embroidery, I am going to do them all in redwork and frame them with the 2" strips. Happy stitching.

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  3. Thank you so much for the freebies. I love the stamps. I was admiring you little girl pin cushion and realized that I could use one of my mother's odd teacups to make one of my own.

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    1. Oh thank you so much, Cathie. My sister gave me the little pottery planter years ago. On the backside their was a crack , but I glued it up and then thought stuffing it and making a pincushion would also add some stability. I have really enjoyed using it. A treasured teacup would look darling as a pincushion as well, plus it would bring back so many fond memories.

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  4. Snow and Love are darling stitches, Melisa. Thank you for them and also the doodles. I will start taking down the winter stuff today and probably start the February decorating tomorrow.

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    1. You are so welcome, Robin. I look forward to seeing your Valentine's wrought iron tree. I always marvel at all of the lovely ornaments. Enjoy redecorating.

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  5. I'm ready for spring, Melisa! Since we have a 90% chance of rain tomorrow, I'm hoping Birmingham Bill stays in and quilts! LOL Love the little stamps and the February Pansies and Groundhog! Sew cute!

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    1. Lol Birimingham Bill - how cute!!!! I hope he predicts an early spring as well. Stay warm and dry . I think the rain is headed my way as well. Happy quilting, Brenda

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  6. Beautiful Melisa! It's been a strange winter, not the cold or amount of snow we always get, I'm not sure, but I feel like the groundhog will see his shadow. I love your embroideries!
    Hugs

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    1. I agree it has been a strange winter. Fingers crossed warmer weather will be here soon rather than later. Have a great evening, Diana and thank you for the sweet visit.

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  7. Here in Andalucia, February is the prelude to spring with longer and sunnier days and temperatures around 20 degrees Celsius, although today it was still quite cold.
    Thanks for sharing those lovely little stitches.
    Hahaha...I thought the wax hearts were cookies...hahaha
    Kisses from Spain

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    1. I am enjoying the longer days, Isabel. I feel like I got so much more completed. I hope you continue to enjoy mild weather. Spring will be here soon. Thank you for the sweet visit. Hugs

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  8. Oh Melisa! I want to come visit you for a day or two! I want to experience a couple of fun days with you. You are incredibly talented and prolific.

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    1. Aaah Come on over!!! I wish you could too. I bet we would have a time stitching and quilting and chatting the days away. Have an awesome evening, dear Darlene. Hugs

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  9. I guess it is time to put away the snowmen and find my heart candle set to put out. Still busy stitching the frosty's.

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    1. Lol I do not feel like I get to keep my snowmen out long enough, but yep that is what I have been doing too. My sweet snowmen have been making their way into bins. I am so excited that you are working on Frosty though. I still have my Flurry & Flakes snowman quilt out and am working on it.

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  10. I like the plaid surrounding the February block. Thank you for this series,

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    1. Oh thank you so much, Susan. I have had that plaid for years. It is one of those fabrics that I always do not want to cut into because I have a limited supply . Lol. Happy quilting.

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  11. I have a soft spot for groundhogs. An old friend, Trapper, passed on for many years now, always made a big deal about this holiday. He wrote a new poem every year - an Ode to the Weather Predicting critter. I have a fond memory of a fat little groundhog sitting on his haunches and munching on a dandelion out in our yard at the farm. Thank you for the doodle. Am I seeing a Doodle of the Month happening, possibly? I hope so! How fun! The Love & Snow stamps are so nice! Thank you!

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    1. Aaaah what a heart warming memory, Ginny. Not many people have a soft spot for groundhogs. It would be so neat if you still had some of the poems that your friend wrote. I love seeing them around here. They always seem to build their homes along the edge of the creek beds or ditches around here. Oh yes, I am thinking of a doodle of the month in the garden theme. Happy stitching, Ginny

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  12. Since it's snowing here in northern Michigan, I'm thinking any groundhogs brave enough to poke their heads out of their cozy homes will definitely not see any shadows. So, they'll have to pop back into the coziness and spend the day stitching. :)

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    1. Lol well as long as he is stitching then that is fine. hee hee. I hope you are staying warm and cozy , Kim and getting a lot of stitching completed yourself. Thank you for the sweet visit.

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