Leafy cross-stitch quartet, part 3: the birch leaf!

So we've seen the maple leaf, and the oak leaf, and now it's time for the third member of our leafy quartet: the birch leaf!


I have always loved birch trees. We had a big birch tree in our backyard while I was growing up. I've got to dig up some photos of that old tree, as it features in some of my most cherished childhood memories. My dad used to fuss over that tree more than any others in our yard, watching it for insects, watering it, giving it fertilizer. He always told me that birch trees were delicate, and you had to give them extra care to keep them healthy.


Each time that we travel in Vermont, I can't get enough of the beautiful birch trees there:

At the Dorset Quarry in Dorset, Vermont

At Hildene, The Lincoln Family Home (a must-see!)

More at Hildene

One the grounds of the Southern Vermont Arts Center (SVAC) (another must-see!)

Another lovely spot at SVAC

So it was with fond memories from the distant and recent past that led me to include the birch in our leafy quartet:

The fourth and final leaf in the quartet? Perhaps my favorite of all: the ginkgo — coming soon!

First Pattern Download on Fourteen Countess!

For some time, I have been wanting to digitize my cross-stitch patterns (I sketch my ideas with graph paper and pencil) and make them available to others. I finally sat down and worked out a simple process using a very basic design, my recent HIV/AIDS awareness ribbon. I wanted to share this one first because I knew it would be the easiest to create, but also because I thought folks might be interested in making use of it for charitable fund-raising purposes. It can be stitched in any color you like: red for HIV/AIDS, pink for breast cancer, the options are endless!


I've added a new page called Free Downloads where this free pattern can be found and downloaded. 


Under the Creative Commons license that I recently created for the blog, folks are free to share my work and create works derived from it for non-commercial purposes, so long as an attribution is given to Fourteen Countess. Enjoy!

Where I'm From

Recently, Steven and I ventured to north-central Pennsylvania for a reunion of my dad's family. I hadn't been to Potter County since before my dad died over 29 years ago, and it was quite amazing to take in the incredible scenery (they don't call Potter County "God's Country" for nothing!) and to catch up with family who I hadn't seen in ages. I haven't sifted through all our photos of that weekend yet, but here a couple shots of Pennsylvania's natural beauty:

Reconnecting with family after such a long time away was wonderful, and it brought forward a million memories from my childhood. I recently read Clueless but Hopeful Mama's Where I'm From post, and I had been wanting to pen one myself for the last few weeks. With all these memories from the past fresh in my mind, this exercise was very easy and a lot of fun.  


Where I'm From



I am from olive-colored kitchen appliances, Kodak cameras, half-hidden bottles of Black Velvet and kids’ clothes sewn by hand.


I am from the neat white ranch with the tan roof, a T-bird in the driveway, floors you could eat off of, and KC and the Sunshine Band on the eight-track.


I am from pollen-covered red poppies, the dainty pink rosebush, a sweet purple lilac, papery birch and dusk-blooming moonflower. From ant-covered peonies, fireflies, corn-fields and hungry mosquitoes.


I am from summer birthdays celebrated in breezy garages, pop-up campers in the Thousand Islands, from those who keep secrets and those who tell everything. From Charlene and Howard, from Moores and Hameisters, Hardings and Fords.


I am from saving up until you can afford something and taking good care so that everything will last.


From you-can’t-dance-and-it’s-too-wet-to-plow, and Mr. Tooth Decay will steal your teeth in the night if you do not brush them, every one.  


I am from the closest church we could find when a funeral loomed, a kind lady pastor who played guitar, and talk of a creek baptism that never happened. From wanting to know where Cain and Abel’s wives came from and never getting an answer that satisfied.


I'm from “The Flower City” by way of Genesee and Friendship, from census documents that say Alsace Lorraine and England, and from red hair and freckles suggesting Ireland, too. From homemade cakes, decorated for hours, and fried bologna sandwiches with catsup.


From the boarding house where she told giggling roommates that she’d NEVER go out with that boy from the blind date again, to the winter wedding six months later, and the grandma who swore we descended from a Native American princess. And a disgraced president.


I am from instant photos, slides, wedding flowers and diaries, scattered about on the floor of our someday-baby-to-be room. I am from wishing and waiting to pass all these down.


If you'd like to write your own, you can find the original template here. Leave me a comment if you do; I'd love to check yours out!

Leafy cross-stitch quartet, part 2: the oak leaf!

I recently shared a maple leaf cross-stitch here, the first in a series of four leafy embroideries. 


The second piece of work in this quartet is an oak leaf. As with my maple leaf, I had good reasons to pay homage to the oak. If you have been following along here for some time, you may remember that in February of 2010, our home had a close encounter with an oak tree following an especially fierce, Hudson Valley blizzard. Here's how our house looked when it was over:

Thank goodness for those power lines! If the tree hadn't landed on them, 
it would have dropped straight down -- onto our car!

To give you a sense of what the storm was like, we felt like it went like this:

OK, maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration, but it was a rough night.


Anyway, she was a beautiful old tree, and once I got over my annoyance at her uninvited visit (and the ensuing insurance company interactions that were needed to clean up her mess), I really was sad that she wasn't around anymore.


So here's my little memorial to the oak tree that mercifully did not crush our car and gave us a little excitement in our first winter in the country.

Fresh out of the hoop.

Close-up of the stitching.

All framed up and ready for hanging!

And the next leaf I'll share will be the birch leaf!


BUT FIRST -- there's still two chances left to get in on the Pay It Forward craft swap and receive a hand-crafted item made just for you by me! Interested? Have a gander over here and be one of the next two folks to comment and YOU'RE IN.

Pay It Forward!

I recently started following a blog called All The Live Long Day, which is penned by the lovely and crafty Annika. A couple nights ago, she wrote a post about the Pay It Forward crafty swap that she had just joined. I have never done a swap before, but when I read the details of this one, I immediately wanted to get in on it too.

Pay It Forward is about making some crafty and thoughtful things, and giving them away to someone else (three someone elses, to be precise, as you'll see in the rules below). I love this idea because you can use any crafty skills you like to make your items, and you have a WHOLE YEAR to make them. (Now that's a deadline I can live with!) Just read the six points below, and if you'd like to get something handcrafted from me, be one of the first three commenters on this post!

The Rules

1. Important! You have to have a blog.

2. I will make something for the first three blog owners who comment on this post. It will be a surprise and I will make it and send it to you some time during the next 365 days after you have commented. I'll check out your blog, your Flickr page, your Pinterest, etc., for inspiration for your gift.

3. Make sure you let me know your email address, so that I can get your contact details.

4. To get a handmade present from me, you have to play too! This means YOU pledge to send a little handmade something to three readers of your blog. It doesn't matter what you give, as long as it is handmade by you!

5. Once you comment here, you need to post about your Pay It Forward on your blog to keep the fun going -- you can just copy the rules from me and please include the Pay It Forward badge in your post. Also, feel free to join the Flickr group to see what else is being sent!

6. If you aren't already a Fourteen Countess follower, become one now! You're also welcome to visit me on Flickr, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. 

I can't wait to see who comments here so I can start brainstorming your gifts!

P.S. Annika got into Pay It Forward from Julia over at Blue-J Cottage. Julia seems to be quite a prolific swapper AND she's getting married TODAY. Many congrats, Julia!