Sunday, January 25, 2015

Handsome is as Handsome does, with a Giveaway!

Well Christmas and the New Year have come and gone and I am back to my old ways of posting occasionally. 
Don't they same absence makes the heart grow fonder???? 
Well I am not going to lie to you and say I am going to do better only to continue in my haphazard ways of blogging, but as of late most of what I do is some what haphazard.
Picking what I'm going to stitch in the evenings is kind of a task in itself,  I will start with something and if I just don't feel it, on the pile of projects it goes and I will grab another.  I have been trying to control myself by not starting anything new though, so far so good.  
 
So over Christmas friends of ours decided that they wanted to raise some calves, mainly to mow their grass come spring.  So what does this have to do with me???
Well Danny found a source for some Holstein/Angus calves for our friends and then since we had access to truck and trailer we did the hauling. 
These calves were from a dairy and being bottle fed, when we picked them up the Dairyman said this one calf was born big and you have to really work with him to get him to eat.  He said when they are born big they are kind of SLOW.
This is how they got their names Smarty (smaller calf that had it all together) and Handsome (big calf that was Slow but Handsome)
Well first night no problems at feeding time. So our friendly duty done...well not so fast.
Our friends had much more trouble at feedings and then Handsome started going down in a hurry.
So they call us all concerned and so for the next 2 weeks we were feeding calves.
 Handsome had to be tube feed for a couple of days as he had gotten dehydrated.
Here they are all snuggled down for the night.  
No this is not how we in TN put the cow to bed at night but Handsome had a fever and so we took to covering him in straw and a blanket until he was back on his hooves.
 

During this time I was beginning to wonder if Handsome would ever learn how to suck, his tongue seemed to be to big for his mouth, and then one day it was like he always knew.
Here they are today ready for a bottle!
 

 
So I was looking at old rugs on pinterest  and saw one that was of a dog, but to me it looked just like Handsome so out comes the punch needle and here is Handsome.
I still need to stain him up a little and decide on a finish for him, so if you have any ideas they are welcome!

 
These next few pictures are not new finishes, but they are newly framed!
Emma Lerch by the Scarlett Letter has been sitting in a drawer for close to 10 years, poor thing but now she is hanging in all her glory.

 
Close up of frame
 

Here again the Huntsman by Scarlett Letter in the same drawer for the last 2 years, not so long, but he was very antsy to get back to ridding.  He is now gracing the living room wall.
 

 
I really love this frame as it has a little depth to it.
 
 
Now the last piece Red Deer by GIGI has not been in the drawer but a few months, but this one really did not need to languish for long as it is truly stunning.  If you want a fun sampler to stitch I would highly recommend it, all the colors and those funky flowers!
 

 
I did all the lacing on the three samplers but I got the frames from Kevin at THE BARN DOOR.  I'm not sure if he felt sorry for me or I was just able to stay away from the expensive Italian molding but I still feel like I owe him more money (how often do you say that coming home from the framer).  So if your close to Franklin you need to bring your stitching with you for framing.

 
Now for some fun!
Since it is getting close to market I was cleaning out the sewing "Stash" room and found that I had some duplicates of the same pattern.   I must have really like these two since I bought them twice, however they still are not stitched.  So I want to share them with two of you so they may get stitched!
All you have to do is leave a comment below and tell me which one you want and I will draw two names Next Sunday February 1st.
 

 Jane Habgood Coppard c. 1812
 by
The Samplar Workes
 
Give Her
by
La-D-Da
 
Both lovely Why are they not stitched yet??
 
Hope your week is full of lovely stitching see you next Sunday with some winners.



23 comments:

Anonymous said...

Your framed samplers look stunning.
What a generous giveaway, I agree that they are both samplers that should really be stitched. I would love to participate in your giveaway. I would love to stitch the La di da sampler.
Wilma Rutten
The Netherlands

woolwoman said...

Your little baby cows are so cute! Love your newly framed sampler - gorgeous choices for the framing. You did a lovely job with the lacing. I have Jane Coppard so I will pass on your generous giveaway. Mel

Julie - My Primitive Heart said...

Hi Carmen,
Those little calves are just adorable!! Your punch of Handsome is really sweet....looks just like him!!
Happy they are both thriving and staying warm!
I have wanted to get back to cross stitch and if I won one of these, it would be a good reason to start again! Not sure which is the best for a returning stitcher but it seems the LAD DE DA might be easier to see! Guess I will choose that one!
Best of luck to all who enter and Thank you for this very generous Giveaway!
Warm Hugs~
Julie

Samplings from Spring Creek said...

Ahh sweet story of the baby calves--and Handsome the punched piece is over the top. So happy you framed your beautiful samplers and can enjoy them on the walls every day

samplerlover said...

So happy that the calves are doing well. Love your punch needle. Always wanted to try that. Your newly framed samplers look really lovely framed. Love Emma. Can see why you would buy duplicate copies of the same samplers. They are both lovely, but Jane is the one that makes my heart sing.

Chris said...

Gorgeous framing on your samplers. They are so lovely. Love the punch needle too! So glad that the boys are tucked in at night :)

Natasha said...

Ohh what sweet calves, they are cute! Best of luck to your friends with them.

Those samplers are very pretty the frames comppliment them well.

I am not entering for the drawing just wanted to leave a comment :)

Have a great evening

sew.darn.quilt said...

Lovely samplers and a sweet story. I think the La-D-Da is very pretty and would love the chance to stitch it.
Thank you for the chance ")

Helen said...

I would be honored to have Jane Habgood Coppard c. 1812 come live with me.
Thank you,
Helen in MI

Diana said...

Love your newly framed samplers! The frames are perfect. The pouch needle design is very cute. Hope the calves are doing well.
I would like to win the La D Da design.

Starry-eyed stitcher said...

Oh those cows are lovely, hope there are no tears when they go back to their owners! Your framed samplers are just beautiful, so glad you can finally hang them for all to see. Don't enter me in the draw - you know how many charts I have waiting to be stitched, but good luck to others. Irene xxx

Margaret said...

Loved the story of the calves -- and the punchneedle. Love your framed pieces! Beautiful!

Robert said...

Great blogpost - I would like the Jane Habgood Coppard c. 1812 by The Samplar Workes

marly said...

Please don't include me in your great offer. I just wanted to say how happy I am that Handsome is eating! Poor big baby. Don't they have the sweetest faces?

P.J. said...

Smarty and Handsome are so cute. What a nice memorable punch needle piece. Glad to hear they are doing well.

Bridget said...

The calves are so cute! I love all your framing and your punch needle. I would love to win the Jane Habgood Coppard chart. Thanks!

Unknown said...

Love your cow story and your needlework. When my daughter, Hollis, was little she just loved cows. There is a dairy farm at the end of our neighborhood's entrance road, so we would see them almost daily. Hence, I have quite a collection of old oil paintings of cows. They just look like such sweet creatures. Hope all is well with you and yours, Sandra

Webster Zibeon said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
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