Bee Buffet and a Little Bee Freebie

 Great Grandma Annie's buffet is filled to the brim with late summer goodness. 

There are chickens.

And trays with doileys and stitches galore. Lots of bees are buzzing about! 

Aunt Bea's Summer Home, Mary's Basket  Strawberry Pinkeep,  Bee Berry , Itty Bitty Bee Pinkeep, and a darling bee stitch gifted to me from dear Barbara ❤

Little skeps - stitched and woven. 

Hive Sweet Hive and Mini Bee Sampler  

Buzz Buzz . More Bees! 

Buzz Buzz  and  Little Bees

Baskets and bowls are perfect to wrangle those stitches in. 

Yep! the buffet is filled to the brim! 

There is Dot Dot's old brass scales that has been on the buffet nigh 50+ years, and her old red kerosene lamp. Such sweet memories. 

 

And the backdrop- A $2. 00 quilt. Can't beat that with a stick!😁 

A little stitch just for you. 

Little Bees!

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If you are interested in stitching this piece,  just grab , the images. For printing tips, refer to the post Tips for Printing which has loads of tips from my sweet friends. 

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OOOPS/ CORRECTION: In the directions on the floss list, I listed DMC 646 with the symbol U. There is NO Symbol U in the chart, but 646 IS USED FOR THE LONG STITCHES along the bees' in flight path. 

FLOSS  : SYMBOL  MOTIF:

DMC 420 (Y) Bee     

DMC 543 ( W) Bee Wings     

DMC 646 ( ) Long stitches for bees' flying path

DMC 829 (O) Wording

DMC 838 (X) Border

DMC 3371 ( • )  Bees

Country Cottage Needleworks " Bumblebee" 

Thank you for dropping by for the sweet Saturday visit. The bees will be buzzing into their bins as pumpkins, squirrels and all things fall take their place. 

Enjoy your day.

As Always...

Happy  Stitching and Quilting, y'all

Melisa 

"The bee is more honored than other animals, not because she labors, but because she labors for others.  "- Saint John Chyrsostom

Hugs and Stitches!!!!🤗🧵❤

Dedicated to my dear sister, Amy 

 I love and miss you so much.. Love you , Amo. 

🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻

 

Bee Haven Cottage

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💙💙💙 BLOGGER BLUES 💙💙💙

Oh dear, Blogger is  "acting up" again. I am not receiving updates on my Reading List. So I do apologize if I miss any of my sweet blogging friends posts. I am trying to pop in to see if you post each day.  

August Already? and Tiny House in the Beeyard- A Tiny House Freebie

Here we are! The dog days of Summer. How is it August already? Wheew this summer is flying by! Soon the little ones will be making their way back to school ; in fact our munchkins only have a few more days.

I have been bustling about the house making changing here and there. 

First, I changed out my apron hanging from the  vintage Hoosier top. A little yellow apron brightens up the corner that it hangs from. 

It makes for a quick grab for those busy baking days. 

I even added a few sunflower pics to the Hoosier top .

Country clutter on top of the old Hoosier

Now isn't that spiffy? 😀

The Hoosier top holds old crocks, cookie jars and salt and pepper shakers. The tobacco prints behind the Hoosier were given to the tobacco farmers as a gift during the tobacco sales at the warehouses years ago. 

To be honest, I really do need to rearrange everything. It has become a catchall .  😏 

 

Back in the living room ,  I hung the $2.00 Dresden Plate quilt that I bought years ago. 

The buffet is decorated with bee decor . The large scales were my Aunt Dot's and were always displayed on this buffet at her house. I never remove them; it is a fond memory of my Dot Dot who was like a 3rd grandma to me.  

The colors remind me of the 1970's . Do you remember the Harvest Gold appliances and linoleum or am I showing my age? Hee! Hee! We even had a Harvest Gold bathtub. 😏💛  Hmmm ... how did I go down that rabbit hole. LOL. Oh well. 

Over the next few days, I will be changing out my decor to bees and sunflowers. The sunflowers will easily transition into fall decor by the end of the month. 

Time to put away the country summer decor. 

August's Tiny House is all finished and ready for display. It is called Tiny House in the Beeyard. Now you know I had to have a bee themed stitch . Hee! Hee!

 

I went around and around on what the house colors should be, but after much debate decided to stitch mine as a brick house using DMC 3857, 3858, and 3859. A little star is nestled down below the house's eaves. 

    The following DMC floss colors were used in the making of Tiny House in the Beeyard:

🐝 782- bees, bee skeps

🐝 898 border, bee skep tables 

🐝937 grass

🐝 948 star, bees' wings

🐝3371 bees, bee skep holes, roof, windows, door

🐝 3857 house

🐝3858 house

🐝  3859 house

If you decide to stitch any of my designs , feel free to choose your own floss colors. I always use whatever floss colors I have on hand at the time and what suits my home decor. ❤ And if you are not digging the star, just fill in the siding and Wahlah! Your House in the Beeyard is complete. Hee! Hee! 

 Tiny  House in the Beeyard was stitched on 14 count tea/ coffee dyed Aida.  I posted on how I dye my Aida in 2024  in my Time to Dye- post. 

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If you are interested in stitching this piece,  just grab , the images. For printing tips, refer to the post Tips for Printing which has loads of tips from my sweet friends. 

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A finishing tutorial was shared in January 2026

Like all of my Tiny Houses, the Tiny Summer House is finished in the same manner into a wee pin pillow with a bit of print fabric and lace. I shared the measurements in  my January 13, 2026 post along with the 1st house in the series, Tiny Winter's Day House. ( There will be 12 houses all together.)

If you have missed any of the other houses and are interested , just click on the colored links and you will be transported back to the post and the charts.

 Tiny Winter's Day House, Tiny Love House , Tiny March House , Tiny Tulip House ,

 Tiny Tomato House, and  Tiny Butterfly House

Tiny Summer House, 

Around noon I will be posting , my latest Roundabout embroidery. So if you are in the neighborhood drop by for a quick visit.  I promise , I won't chat your ears off. 😀🤪😅

As Always...

Happy  Stitching and Quilting, y'all

Melisa 

"August still stretched before us - long , golden and reassuring like an endless period of delicious sleep.  "- Lauren Oliver

Hugs and Stitches!!!!🤗🧵❤

Dedicated to my dear sister, Amy . This is such a hard month. My mind is racing with memories of our last few days in August. 

 I love and miss you so much.. Love you , Amo. 

🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝

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The Case of the Missing Santas- A Tall Tale

 " I think someone broke into the house," I said to Mr. Pinker with a frazzled look on my face. 

"Hmm I don't think so . Why do you say that ?" he asked.  

"Well it's just not here! It's not here!"  I replied frantically as I  rummaged through the shelf. 

" Calm down, dear. Now tell me.  What is missing ? " he asked puzzled. 

                                            

"Three of my Santa cross stitches!  There is Candy Cane Sprinkles , A Cup of Christmas Cheer- Santa Mug  and Candy Canes, Holly and Evergreens !"

 " I always store them in the same place , and they are just not here, " I cried as a lump in my throat tightened and I choked back the tears.😢🥲

 

Mr. Pinker rolled his eyes. "Hmm I think I have heard this story before. Didn't you lose a cross stitch a couple of years ago, and you swore up and down a bandit had stolen it  while all along it was sitting in plain sight? "

Immediately my mind raced back to the  Case of the Mysterious Disappearance of Prim Winter Blessings in January 2022.  Do you remember that caper? 

"Hmmm I have no recollection of that ." I slyly fibbed. In my defense, I needed immediate help to have this newest case of "cross stitch abduction" solved. So what's a girl to do.  🤷

                                                     

"Are you going to help me find them?" I asked as I bit my lower lip nervously. 

 "Of course, I am, dear. I am sure they are right where you left them.  " ( Oh boy, I have heard that one before. 🙄🤣 Isn't that a Mom Quote?) 

Mr. Pinker and I looked high and we looked low. But no Santas were to be found.  

With tears in my eyes, I finally said, "I just don't think I can go on without them.  How can I  decorate my buffet while they are being held hostage by some loathsome, wily Santa loving bandit?"

Mr. Pinker just shook his head." I am sure you can put something in their place until you find them , he reasoned.

 So with my shoulders dragging and my head slumped, I went to the "she shed" and pulled out some Santa cookie jars. I soon began to put them on the buffet and added in some other stitched pieces to fill the spaces while all along my heart was aching for the kidnapped "Santas".  After working for a few moments, I paused and looked over my work.  Hmmm,  maybe a new themed buffet was developing-  Santas and Gingerbread. We shall see I thought. 

I will continue working on the Case of the Missing Santas" this week. If you hear of any word  on the streets  on any of the 3 missing Santas , let me know ASAP! Meanwhile , I may see about renting a billboard in town to get the word out. Hee! Hee!  Sniffle ! Sniffle!  I hope this case  will not be a similar to  the Case of the Lizzie Kate Summer Smalls . I stitched  one of the Summer Smalls over 7 years ago ,and it too mysteriously disappeared and is still missing to this very day. A real mystery indeed. 

Alrighty , Sweeties, I am off to put my sleuth hat on and do more detective work. Watch out for those Santa cross stitch bandits. Or as Mr. Pinker advises " Just remember where you put your stuff! " Hee ! Hee!  Sniffle ! Sniffle! 

Have a fantastic day. Love ya'! 

As Always...

Happy  Stitching and Quilting,

 y'all

Melisa 

"Seeing isn't believing. Believing is seeing. " 

Hugs and Stitches!!!!🤗🧵❤

Dedicated to my dear sister, Amy. I love and miss you so much.. Love you , Amo. 

🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃 

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A Summer Rain and The Hum of the Bees- A Bee Freebie

 The rain has set in, and the flowers are happy. 

Good afternoon, y'all and a lovely evening to you. Two posts in a day? Aaah why not! 😀😁 

To my surprise, we did get a number of showers today. That gave me a break from watering all of the flowers which was so nice.  Between showers, I was able to go outside and take a few snapshots of what was going on in the garden. Still wild and woolly , but pretty in my eyes nonetheless. 

The hummingbird feeder needs to be filled.  Lots of weeds in this garden bed too. 

Little caterpillars dangled precariously from a limb high above. 

As a large clump of them ,cling tightly to the branches and leaves. 

And the rain continues... 

 

So what's a gal to do,  but retreat back into the house and bustle about. 

Well actually, I have been working with a new printer / scanner. My old one bit the dust! Boo Hoo!😢😭 

Not being tech savvy, I have been having some troubles learning the new one. The terminology , the lack of instructions has got me bumfuzzled . Hmm is that a word? 🤔😀  I am not for sure, but I sure have been frustrated. 🤪

 

 After many hours, I have muddled my way through the process,  and I have high hopes that I will be able to share a chart. Be forewarned though, I am not sure how it will come across once posted, but I am trying.  

Have I told you lately , how grateful I am for you?!  ❤🤗 Well I am! 

Some of you may have spotted my latest bee finish  in my header photo. I have been working my little fingers to the bone to have it finished before the end of summer. 

It is called "The Hum of the Bees". 

"The Hum of the Bees is the voice of the garden. " This is a lovely quote from Elizabeth Lawrence, an American gardener and author. 

Click here if you would like to learn a little more about Elizabeth. 

My stitched little garden is filled with bee skeps, blooms, bees, and birds. A happy little place indeed. 

The Hum of the Bees was stitched on 14 count Aida which I dyed charcoal gray with RIT dye.  On 14 count Aida , the design size was 135 W x 106 H which brought it to about 9 5/8" x 7 5/8" . That meant I could pop it in an 8 x 10" frame. Woo Hoo! 

There are 14 floss colors in this design which includes: DMC 317, 407, 610, 730, 780, 782, 815, 831, 898, 924, 3371, 3740, 3743, Blanc. 

I have trouble printing and sharing large charts. The images do not interpret as well on the computer. ( Remember I am not tech savvy nor a professional designer, but I do love to share . 😊) 

 I have provided a little note to refer back to in respect to the placement of the floss colors. I hope this helps.

PLACEMENT OF COLORS

WORDS: DMC 898

VINE: 730

BEES: 782, 3371, Blanc

RED FLOWERS: 815, 407, 730

BEE SKEPS: 898, 780, 782, 3371

BIRDS: 610, 317, 924

POSY FLOWERS: 782, 730, 610

PURPLE FLOWERS: 730, 3740,3743

GRASS PATCHES: 730, 831

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If you are interested in stitching this piece,  just grab , the images. For printing tips, refer to the post Tips for Printing which has loads of tips from my sweet friends. 

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Well Sweeties, I am off to play with this "blankity blank" printer! Oh please, do excuse my language...😁😂 LOL,  but I know many of y'all understand .  

Hmmm perhaps , I will just go sit out on the porch and enjoy the pitter patter of the raindrops. Now that sounds more relaxing doesn't it? 

Talk to you later. 

🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻

 As always,

Happy Stitching and Quilting, y'all

Melisa

"It is the rain ,not the clouds , that nourishes the gardens." 

Hugs and Stitches!!! 🤗🧵

Dedicated to my dear sister, Amy who loved to dance in the rain! I miss and love you so much.   ❤👼

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🌞 Root A Toot Toot Patriotic Parade Early 2024 patriotic freebies. 

🌞A Berry Nice Parade- A Look at Past Berry Freebies 2025- Early 2025 berry Freebies. 

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🌞A Sunny Sunflower Parade for 2025 A parade of sunflower freebies up to July 24, 2025

🌞Time to Dye-  2024 post on how I tea/ Coffee Dye my fabric. 

🌞Pin Pillow Tutorial - 2023 post on how I finish my pin pillows with chenille trim.