Brooke's Books Blog

Tea Time "Hospitality"

Tea time, everybody! Come on in out of the heat and stitch a cup of tea. This is "Hospitality", the 9th in the Bride's Tree Ornament collection. It was finished and shipped to our auto shops a week ago but I still haven't had time to put it up on the web site. Yikes! I've been vvvveeeeerrrry busy, though, with something to show for it. In the last two weeks I finished all three Holiday Spirit Angels and will post photos of them soon. But I'm getting ahead of myself a bit. You can find "Hospitality" at your favorite needlework shop. If they don't have it yet, they will very soon because our distributors will receive theirs by 8/31. I'll post it here: http://www.brookesbooks.com this weekend too. Only thing I regret about this one is that there's no yellows or golds in the palette so I couldn't include a lemon slice. I guess I really am tired of the heat. Maybe I'm actually looking for lemonaide. 

I want to say THANK YOU to so many of you who have purchased the Bride's Tree ornaments. I am blown away by the response we've had to these little designs and am so grateful from the top of my widow's peak to the tips of my toes. You are all just wonderful!

So, on to "Eternity", which is symbolized by a pine cone. We're finally moving into the "wintry" / "Christmas" themed ones.

Evergreen

OK...I am having SOOOO much fun designing this year's Holiday Spirit Angels. I just had to share. Several of you have emailed me requesting more behind the scenes "process" stuff so here's what I'm working on this week. This is The Spirit of Evergreen Angel ornament so disregard all that brown perforated paper. It will be cut away when she's finished. And yes, her garland, wings and crown wreath aren't stitched yet. But I had to share the gown...I think that medieval silhouettes are just gorgeous...The long waist and flowing sleeves...the long tendrils of hair. Do you get the golden embroidered Christmas tree down her front? And can Kreinik create more BEAUTIFUL metallic braids? These Brocade and Amethyst colors are just amazing. I'm SO thankful for ALL the amazing materials available to all of us designers and stitchers today.

July's Faithfulness

Sneak peek of "Faithfulness"...#8 of the Bride's Tree Heirloom Ornament Collection. Symbol is the rose and it will ship to your favorite shop this Friday 7/15. I can't believe we're already up to eight. The year is going by too quickly. Only four BT ornies left. "Hospitality" = Teapot, "Eternity" = Pinecone, "God's Guidance" = Angel and "Giving" = Santa. This collection has been SO much fun to design.

Since the year is rushing by, Meg and I have been dreaming up the next monthly ornament collection. So, here's the tease..."Favorite Christmas Carols". I don't have a list for you yet but you can be assured that the most iconic favorites will be there. They will be done in the same style and size that I've used for the Bride's Tree...Prim / elegant / whimsical...I don't know what you call this style. The palette will be warm Holiday colors and I think I'm aiming to use mostly Gentle Arts Sampler Threads this time. I may use a combo of GA, Weeks and Crescent Colours, though. Not sure yet. But I'll definitely do DMC conversions for the entire palette so there's a more affordable way to stitch them. Jingle bells...Jingle bells...Jingle all the way...WooHoo!

It's Sadie Spring & A New Way Of Doing Freebies

Hey, Sadie...I've always loved that name. Mom wanted to name me Sadie for my great grandma but my maiden name was Thompson so Dad put the keebosh on that right quick. For all you yungins out there here's the Sadie Thompson reference. But I digress...This is Sadie The Spring Witch, who has nothing what so ever to do with Sadie Thompson OR Gloria Swanson. She's the first of the Four Seasons Witchie Collection. Her sisters, Sandy Summer, Annie Autumn and Wendy Winter will be released later this year.

This is Sadie's good friend, Boswell Bunny. He's a complimentary companion piece to Sadie that you can find on my Freebies page. I recently decided to give away surprise freebies that go with my larger ornaments like the Stitch-a-Little Witchies and the Spirit Angels, etc... Boswell is the first of his kind in this respect. So, for instance, I'm currently designing The Spirit of Evergreen Angel ornament and her companion piece will be a fawn freebie.  

 

June Blessings

Fishy, fishy in the brook, Daddy catch 'em by a hook...Mama fry him in a pan...Baby eat him like a man.

This was the best the bullies at school could do with my name. LOL! Needless to say, I lucked out. But I digress...

"Blessings", #7 in the Bride's Tree Heirloom Ornament Collection, is now available at your favorite needlework shop and on my web site.

This collection is going so fast...The year is wizzing by. Up next is "Faithfulness" represented by a rose.

Bride's Tree "Blessings" Sneak Peek

Under the sea...Under the sea...Sometimes it's better out where it's wetter...Take it from me... except I think this is a trout, isn't it? So, in this case it should be, "Under the river...Under the river, etc..." Can you tell, I'm having too much fun with this collection? "Blessings", the lastest addition to the Bride's Tree Collection will be ready to ship in a week.

S & T Freebies Are Done!

"S Is For Sampler" & "T Is For Tatting (& Thimble)" are DONE! I'm so sorry it's taking me forever to finish the Stitcher's Alphabet but I'm breakin' a sweat...I promise. LOL! You can download these blocks and others from my Freebies page: http://www.brookesbooks.com/CrossStitchFreebies.html  
Just scroll down and click on the images.

If you haven't already, you should check out Meagan's "Stitcher's Alphabet SAL". Looks like they're having fun over there. http://bbabcsal.blogspot.com/