Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Teas, IHSW Report, A Few Gifts I Bought for Myself, & Something I Made for Someone : )

How's that for a blog post title   : )

I intended to write about the progress I made in my IHSW stitching this past weekend, & also to show you a few gifts I purchased for myself & one I made for someone else recently.  However, I'm adding a few words about teas.  Specific teas.  Teas from Lillie's in Cedarburg, Wisconsin.  A dear friend who lives in Cedarburg recently sent me a gift of Peace Tea from Lillie's.  It is a delicious herbal tea ... so delicious that I feared it would be gone before I knew it & I would be left with none!  Full of hope, I searched for Lillie's online & was ecstatic to find not only her website but a link for online ordering!  I immediately ordered at least a dozen teas, most of them herbal.  It's kind of odd ... I never liked herbal teas & avoided them like the plague.  Then last year, or maybe the year before, I ended up drinking some chamomile for some reason & fell in love   : ) Anyway, Lillie's teas have names like Grateful Heart, Evening Repose, Dawn Chorus, Dream Tea, Relaxation Tea, & the above mentioned Peace Tea.  All are herbal blends & it's a real treat to have a cup of any of them! Lillie's also sells black teas.  I purchased a few of those as well ... Chestnut, Coconut Custard, Vanilla Bean, Orange Spice, & Winter Spice ... but by far I love the herbal teas best.  Strange, isn't it, for my tastes to have changed like this.  This morning I sat down at my computer with a cup of Grateful Heart, & as I took a sip I realized that I needed to include a plug for Lillie's in my post.  If you buy teas from Lillie's, I'm sure you won't be disappointed   : )

Now ... on to my IHSW report.  I fear that I don't have much to share with you except the start of a LHN ornament, Winter Forest. You can see the finished design here.

I stitched this design once before as a gift, but this time I decided to try stitching it on 40 count linen using 1 strand of floss rather than the suggested 30 count using 2 strands. I fear it might end up being too small, but I'm going to forge ahead & hope for the best.

I had actually stitched more than this.  I started another patriotic kit design, but as soon as I started stitching it I didn't like it. It's not the design I didn't like ... it was the fabric & floss that came with the kit.  I stitched a star motif & a few vines & at that point decided to just frog it all & maybe start it again someday using a different fabric & floss. 

With the exception of books & stitching stash, I really haven't bought much of anything for myself in a coon's age.  You may not have noticed but lately I've been on a patriotic kick, so when I saw Olde Lady Morgan post recently that she was selling some of her patriotic creations in her Early Work Mercantile shop, I rushed over there & bought these.
From left to right you see Miss Libby, Libby's best gal pal Betsy, & a prim Uncle Sam make-a-do.  Here they are a bit closer.    

I love the olde lady's creations   : )  I have several of them but alas, I packed all but one of them away a couple months ago in preparation for my escape from the devil's playground.  Alas, I'm still here, but I'm still clinging to the hope that I will be paroled any day now.  Clinging, clinging, clinging.  Sigh!

Lastly, Marly's (Samplers & Santas) birthday was last week.  With all the medical stuff, moving stuff, & a bit of bad stuff swirling around my life for the past 6 months, I have found it impossible to keep up with birthdays. Recently I've tried to play catch up but sadly have not been able to stitch gifts for everyone.  However, I saw this Little Stitcher design last year & knew I had to stitch it as a gift for Marly someday.  I had finished the stitching a couple months ago ... then when I saw it was her birthday, I finished it into a pinkeep & sent it off to her.  The design is called The Granny & the Deer.  Marly has often written about how she feeds bread to the deer who come to visit her.  I decided to embellish Laura's design a bit & add a slice of bread in granny's (Marly's) hand to make it more personal.  I received an email from Marly thanking me for the gift so I can share it with you now   : )   This was one of the mysteries I posted on my blog post this past Saturday.  You've already seen the back of it ... here's the front   : )
And that, I think, is it for this morning except to once again share a few new daylily blooms with you   : )   Have a blessed day!



21 comments:

Edgar said...

Super post!! love the lilies - always a treat!

Anonymous said...

Am sitting here with a cup of tea, browsing thru some blogs (I am so far behind in reading so many) and enjoying your photos. I used to do c. x stitch a lot but once I began quilting it became rather ignored. Once in a while I make time for it and I also knit and do filet crochet. They are all so enjoyable. Have a wonderful day.

Simply Victoria said...

Hooray for Lillie's!! :) I really do need to try them myself. Love your new patriotic friends. Your gift for Marly is sweet.

Sarah in Stitches said...

That's such a sweet, thoughtful gift! I'm sure Marly loved it. And great start on the LHN!

cucki said...

Yayyy sweet lilies :) I love them...
Beautiful gift :)
Love for you always x

cucki said...

Aww those dolls are so cute..
Super sweet stitches,.,,always..
Big hugs x

Linda said...

Great little pillow you did for Marly. Love the slice of bread. More beautiful flowers. Like your new start.

Linda

Vickie said...

You can never stitch too small in my opinion!
What fun new prim friends you have gained.
ooOoo! I am still smiling over Marly's bread for the deer. ;)

Annette-California said...

What a beautiful gift you made for Marly. Love the added bread you placed in her hand - too sweet. Your daylilies are so pretty. Great new wip and cute new friend prims.
love Annette

Mouse said...

love the wee pillow for marly and gorgeous new start too ,the new additions are growing on me ..lol and love the flowers as always ... thanks for the tea ... don't mind the herbal ones myself :) love mouse xxxxx

prims by olde lady morgan said...

Shirlee,

So glad the Girls and Sam arrived safely! they look right at home! Oh your stitching as always is wonderful! Fingers crossed for your parol ver soon! OLM

Myra said...

I love your new make do's - so cute. Lovely daylily and the piece you stitched for Marly is fabulous.

marly said...

How is Pearl getting along with the new folks? I don't drink tea but your post makes me wish I did. I guess if I load it with sugar and cream I would like it!

Kaisievic said...

Love the pinkeep you made for Marly - you are such a talented stitcher. So glad that you are back cross stitiching.

love Kaye xoxox

gracie said...

So glad I stopped by...

Chris said...

So glad that you have found some yummy new tea. I love your new prim treasures too.
What a lovely gift for Marly.
Thanks for sharing the lovely flowers. The deer usually eat most of mine :)
Hugs!

Carol said...

The little pillow you stitched for Marly is so cute, Shirlee--just perfect for her... And your new little LHN piece will be adorable on 40 ct. In my mind, the smaller, the better :) I really love tiny ornaments the best!

Your daylilies are so gorgeous--I never knew they came in so many pretty colors. All we have are the basic old yellow ones... And then they are quickly consumed by deer. I'm ready to give up on gardening with our expanding deer population!

Chris said...

Hi Shirlee, I thought I was following you but I wasn't so I have put that right, I don't want to miss your antics!! LOL
I am not partial to herbal teas but those names sounded good enough to 'drink' Love the lilies and hope you get on ok with that small count linen, looks good so far
Love and Blessings Chris x

Jo who can't think of a clever nickname said...

Your dolls look a little scary to me! I love Granny feeding the deer though. Your addition of bread is lovely.
We have deer in our garden but they run away if we go near the door. They do pose nicely for photos taken through the window.

Laura Violet said...

Oh my! :)) Shirlee it's fantastic the little cushion and the bread is perfect! :D A big hug!

Michelle said...

Oh my sweet friend I love the lilies they are beautful. Wonderful gifts x