"Simplicity Goodness Truth" by Heart's Content

I really had a blast doing this one. It's stitched one-over-one on some hand-dyed fabric, and it has several specialty stitches (four-sided stitch, double and single eyelets, shell stitch, queen stitch, star stitch, diamond eyelet, Scottish square stitch, sawtooth satin, and star stitch). The original chart is 8 inches square, and the finished design is only a little more than 3 inches square.

"H is for House and Home and the Herringbone Stitch" - Erica Michaels

This is another design from the Cross Stitcher's Surprise Series from Rainbow Gallery. The last year, instead of being designs for each month, was a set of designs for each letter of the alphabet. As of "XYZ," there will be no more designs in the series. Again, I used my own threads for this, so the colors are a combination of DMC Variations, Crescent Colors, and Gentle Arts Sampler Threads. (I'm having fun stitching with overdyed floss!)

"Harvest Pumpkin" (November) - Linda Stolz for Erica Michaels

This is part of the 2005 Cross Stitcher's Surprise Series from Rainbow Gallery. Linda Stolz of Erica Michaels designed several years' worth of these, which can be found at the Rainbow Gallery website. I didn't use any Rainbow Gallery fibers, though - mine is stitched with Crescent Colors and Gentle Arts Sampler Threads.

"Chocolate Makes Your Clothes Shrink" by Waxing Moon Designs

I changed the colors a bit in this one - I didn't have the overdyed floss the pattern called for (Six Strand Sweets), so I used some Crescent Colors. I also used two chocolate kisses buttons (Just Another Button Company) instead of one. This is going to my niece Allison since she just bought her first home - she has a wicked sense of humor, so I think this will make a fine housewarming gift!

"Kathy's Violets" by Martina Weber (Chatelaine)

This one is a freebie from Martina Weber (Chatelaine). I did it for a seasonal exchange on CSRR. The frames I ordered are here, and I just need to mount this on some mounting board and stain a frame for it. Martina designed several small mandalas, and this is the second one I've done (the first was Lavender Garden, which was published in TGOSM). I framed this in a little frame that I stained myself - I found some stuff at Michaels, that when mixed with acrylic paint, turns the acrylic paint into a stain.