Some of my Patriotic Freebies

http://bitsoffloss.blogspot.com/search/label/Patriotic

And take a moment to watch Endeavour land at LAX in 2012 and listen to the Fanfare. It's very moving. I get choked up watching this again after all these years.  My brother slightly tweaked it and played trumpet in the small musical ensemble. I love him so much! His musical endeavors (pun not necessarily intended) have entertained me, but more importantly have had great meaning in and have enriched my life. I need to tell him that. 

I also remember my dear Mother who passed on this day in 2011. I wish I had taken the opportunity to have told her over and over just how very much she meant to me.

New CEC Freebie

Sweet Tea and Fireflies

Blackbird Designs Freebie

"Now I Know My A B C's" 69w x 53h A simple, 7-stitch high, primitive styled alphabet with Caps, Lower Case and Numbers. Several designers use same or similar. Many ways to finish or use.

I may have posted this previously, but once again just in case not.  

!  HAPPY SPRING, EVERYONE !

 

Remember WebRing?

Can't believe that my old LMcDesigns WebRing site, created in December 2003, hasn't disappeared. Doubt all the links still work, but the fact that it's still accessible 13 years later is surprising. I probably moved most of the designs over here, but if you're interested in exploring something created more than a decade ago  

http://webspace.webring.com/people/fl/llmcm/index.html 

Even created my own buttons. :D It was a labor of love. I also created and ran three sites on Yahoo's old - sorry can't even remember the name but despite being a PITA, I had a family site, a business site, and a cross stitch site. Loved playing around within the limits of the design features and tweaking them into something really nice. As for my Attorney site, it predated most of the attorney websites by a few years. Ah, once upon a time I was still creative and had fun setting these up. Now I can't even remember the names of the online programs. :-{

  x x x x x

Seems my presence in cyber space is going to survive long past me. My MDS has been upgraded or staged one step higher at MLD, meaning that not only are my red blood cells affected, so are my platelets. There are only 3 standard drugs or combination of them which might slow down the progression but won't stop it. Only a successful bone marrow transplant will, and I am not eligible.. But I would ask that if you are so inclined, PLEASE sign up to donate bone marrow or stem cells for those with MDS or other blood diseases who are eligible. Matches are hard to find and the more people willing to donate increase the chances for others with MDS to find someone who will. You can read about stem cell and bone marrow donations at BE THE MATCH.  Thank you on behalf of the hundreds or thousands of MDS patients who have no other potential cure.

The Snowflower Diaries

The Snowflower Diaries

Going back through some old posts I ran across this site and took another look. All sorts of freebies including her 2016 Joyful World series of monthly charts featuring various animals large and small and birds such as flamingos and ducks with floral sides. Each design is 99w x 73h and can be assembled into one large work. Dimensions given after the January chart. Each month has been translated into 7 or more different languages, many I can't even guess at. :D Various other freebies also featured in the left column. Nice site. She also has an Esty shop with other designs.

New Freebie from the Cricket Collection

Pussy Willow Egg - http://www.cecricket.com/gift_design.html

 

New from CEC

Kitty Mitten:  http://www.cecricket.com/gift_design.html


 

Pam Kellog Small Freebies

Bird On Apple and others on her blog at 

http://kittyandmedesigns.blogspot.com/  

Also beautiful patriotic eagle and Autumn Cat blackwork.

Newest (and past) Permin Freebies

December 2015 - Santa with Goose  (cute)
November 2015 - Candles with Poinsettia (nice)

Most are small, simple and quick-stitch designs that will fit a 2" or 3" frame (depends on your fabric count and shape of the design). Perfect for a greeting card insert or glue-on and  quick Christmas ornies, etc. Also some button covers and at least one placemat or corner design for something. Nice mostly quick stitch designs when you want to set aside that BAP or do a quick project. The chart sheet includes any special stitching or instructions along with the shape of the appropriate small frame.

Best yet: Explore freebies back to May 2011 by changing the year and month at the end of the url.  July 2012 would be 2012_07 for example. HOWEVER, not all months are still available (I only spot checked primarily for December).. While May 2011 was still there, the next one was November. I found at lesast one duplicate. But if this sort of design/stitching interests you, it might be worth a bit of exploration. Without a photo on the chart sheet, sometimes it's a little hard to tell what the design is. My favorite has been the 2015_01  Deer in Forest scene. Wished I had used evenweave.

Note I'm thinking and talking about cross-stitching again! I'm waiting on my new glasses to come in but I'm so used to reading blur that while these Walmart readers are definitely not perfect, they are better than nothing,- even if I sometimes have to wear a second pair on top of the first to read - and stitch?

Update:  I've gone through and d/l all the freebies I back to the partial 2011. IF I still have the motivation, I MAY lst them by month, but only IF THERE IS SIGNIFICANT INTEREST.. A LOT of flowers, only a few of which I've indicate the colors when I saved.

Freebies

Hershner's:  Tea Cozy Ornament   Gingerbread JOY Banner
  - many others, look under needlework

Leslie Teare Christmas Owl - and Christmas Baby Deer - be sure to click on her blog which has many other recent freebies including including Woodland creatures and Birthday Fairies.

Freebies

Now that I can almost see well enough to get back on the computer: here are a couple of Freebie opportunities:

Twelve Days of Christmas - a Mystery Sampler from Plum Street Samplers

Halloween Witch & Pumpkin from Gazette 94

 

New My Big Toe Freebie on Wichelt

Amazing Grace - ornament sized design by My Big Toe available at Wichelt.com  Click on FREE GRAPH. Check out the other Wichelt freebies while there!

Cat freebie, Update and some DFW winter pics

Tom Pudding Designs - A House is Not a Home without a Cat

Update: I removed the posts about my fall and black eye. Some remnants of black eye and small bump remain. I've been really skittish about falling again, so with all the wintry weather the past 10 days, I'm staying home and in general being extremely careful when I'm up and about! I was really thankful when I was told to "Linda, stay home," when I was literally ready to walk out the front door on the 28th to help with the Cowtown Marathon. Instead I sat at the computer from about 6am to 2:30pm logging (taking notes) on the amateur radio traffic. Except for the Half Marathon that they ran a day late, the rest of the 2-day event was cancelled. After all the runners left the corrals, it got pretty boring. Should have used the time to stitch between radio transmissions!

Our recent weather: For those under several FEET of snow, please don't laugh derisively. I truly don't know how you handle it. We normally get only an inch maybe 2 all winter, if any.

February 27th - up the street

February 27th -  My driveway - 2 inches of snow topped with 1/4 inch of ice

March 5th - Looking across the street - 1/4" sleet topped with 2.8" of lovely snow.

March 5th - Straight out the back door. Those are houses on the higher ground across the creek.

I

Heart Sachets and Love Birds

Heart Sachets  From Cross Stitch Collection  (I love the padded hanger!)
Love Birds Heart  From Janie Hubble Designs

Finished Halloween Biscornu Freebie

I just discovered a Korean website that has posted several photos of my Halloween Biscornu design along with the chart, but thankfully giving me credit and a link back.  I've never seen it stitched and it's REALLY CUTE (giving self pat on back!)  You can visit the page here.  I translated the page, but I never did see a "contact" link so I could ask permission to use a couple of the photos. If you find one, please let me know! Also, if anyone is interested, I can change the year to 2015. :D

Pre-Christmas Freebies Still posted

From Cross Stitcher Magazine and Cross Stitch Collection, the free charts (that were posted "only for 24 hours") can still be reached through the following links: 

1. Day 1 (December 12th) : From Cross Stitch collection:  Christmas Carol - a Victorian Village with carolers!  104H x 192w - must d/l by 2 P.M. December 15th (not sure which time zone so don't wait!) From Cross Stitcher Magazine: Reindeer Cushion - all of Santa's reindeer including Rudolf by Kate Mawdsley; individual designs suitable for smaller projects - d/l by the 15th
2. Day 4 (December 15th) -  Seasons Tweetings - 4 card/ornie designs and 3 gift tags
3. Day 9 (December 20th) - lovely dove ornament charts to download 
4. Day 12 (December 23rd) - download two floral Thank You cards to stitch 

A New Freebie Every Friday

Happiness is Cross Stitching - New in 2015 - Monthly Cross Stitch Mini-Cats, other Mini-Cat and cross stitch freebies, gift tags and other items to print. Check out this interesting site.

My Wish & a Freebie to Stitch

From Craftyideas by Kincavel Krosses (with permission to copy and share)

Christmas Hoop Freebie

From Coats and Cross Stitcher Magazine   And check out the other Weekend Freebies and links listed!

12 Days of Christmas and Other Freebies

Twelve Days of Christmas:  Hope you've enjoyed these freebies and drawings from these companies!

From Cross Stitch Collection  and Cross Stitcher Magazine. In conjunction with each other, a New surprise every day and only available for 24 hours - until 2pm the next day.  You'll want to visit every day between now and Christmas! [Except for Day 1the freebies and give-aways have been the same.]

1. Day 1 (December 12th) : From Cross Stitch collection:  Christmas Carol - a Victorian Village with carolers!  104H x 192w - must d/l by 2 P.M. December 15th (not sure which time zone so don't wait!) From Cross Stitcher Magazine: Reindeer Cushion - all of Santa's reindeer including Rudolf by Kate Mawdsley; individual designs suitable for smaller projects - d/l by the 15th
2. Day 2 (December 13th) - sign up today to win an Embeliss bracelet kit. Second place is button covers. Sign ups end 1pm December 14th
3. Day 3 (December 14th) -  enter contest for Ultimate Christmas Cross Stitch Collection
4. Day 4 (December 15th) -  Seasons Tweetings - 4 card/ornie designs and 3 gift tags
5. Day 5 (December 16th) - enter 24-hour contest for a fabric voucher from Willow Fabrics
6. Day 6 (December 17th) - sign up for chance at one of 20 copies of Storyland Cross Stitch from What Delilah Did
7. Day 7 (December 18th) - Enter for Mr. & Mrs. Tooting Skating kits to give away
8. Day 8 (December 19th) - register for Joan Elliot book book and fabric giveaway
9. Day 9 (December 20th) - lovely dove ornament charts to download 
10. Day 10 (December 21st) - register for one of 10 give-away copies of The Ultimate Alphabets Cross Stitch Collection
11. Day 11 (December 22nd) - sign up to win a colorful cross stitch shoulder bag
12. Day 12 (December 23rd) - download two floral Thank You cards to stitch 

You MAY be able to still download the charts for a few days. Change the date and the nth day in the url. Worth a try anyway.
  

Be sure to visit the "Free" sections of the above for other Christmas and a variety of freebies and links. Example:

• DMC Freebie: Christmas Robin  - you may have to sign up to get access, but they have some really nice freebies
• Cute, Kitchy Christmas Animal smalls with cardmounts to print out (to be honest - that takes a lot of expensive colored printer ink - I'd more likely use a small print Christmas paper design, cut it to wrap around or paste on to a suitable sized backing of 64 pound printer paper and/or or stick one in one of those blank folding cards  - but each stitcher her own); Small, quick to stitch.

ALSO, be sure to visit Mirabilia.com for the collection of free Christmas cherub designs by Nora Corbett. Click on "free designs" following the numbers at the bottom of the page. And view her other remarkable designs while you are there!