Stitching Dreams

Beginnings and Birthdays

2012-01-18T06:58:00.002-05:00

Thank you, thank you for the wonderful birthday wishes you left me on my last post. With each one I read, it seemed to make turning 57 "just a bit" easier to take! I truly love how this cross stitching blog community brings together stitchers of all ages to inspire and offer support for our passion, don't you? I know I'm one of the "older generation" in the world of cross stitcher bloggers and I love the fact that I've made friendships with people of all different ages from all over the world. It's been a wonderful three years since I began my blog and I've gotten so much more out of it than I ever dreamed I would. If any of you are thinking about starting a blog of your own, I highly encourage you to!

What have I been working on so far this year? Well, a bit of a larger than normal piece (for me at least). I've had the lovely Nature's Alphabet by Elizabeth's Needlework Designs in my stash for years and finally it just begged me to stitch it. I'm loving this one, even though all that hunter green backstitching between each blog is a bit tiring. I'm up to the "P" block now, but don't want to spoil the surprise so I'll just share just a few of my favorite blocks so far: "E" is for Ewes, "L" for lavender, "D" for daisies, and "C" for cherries... (These are all stitched on one large piece of linen--I just photographed the blocks separately and created this little collage). Aren't they pretty? And the specialty stitches add such beautiful texture!

My other new start is Little House Needlework's "Snow White" which I'm stitching on 16 ct. Stardust Heatherfield. It's such a pretty fabric with the flecks of blue and the wooly appearance, but it is not my favorite to stitch on--it's just too "flopsy" for me. I like a fabric with more body. Anyway, here is my progress so far--it should be finished up next week.

So, I'll bet you're all wondering about the birthday dinner that my two older sons cooked for me? Well, I'm happy to report there wasn't a green vegetable in sight--not one!! They served me chicken parmesan on angel hair pasta, garlic bread, fruit salad, and for dessert these wonderful cupcakes. It was so hard to pick just one flavor--there was mint chocolate chip, peanut butter, strawberry, double chocolate, yellow with chocolate frosting, and red velvet. Which would you have chosen? I finally selected the double chocolate, but had a taste of my husband's peanut butter one as well--absolutely scrumptious!! The guys gave me a variety of stitching and crafting gift cards and a new GPS (I'm known for having absolutely no sense of direction so this will be a huge help!) which I'm still smiling about. I love you so very much my guys; thanks for making my birthday one to remember...

I was thoroughly spoiled by my blogging friends as well... In fact, I feel truly honored to have so many kind and caring friends in the stitching world. You made me feel so special and I thank you all for your friendship as well as all of your generous and thoughtful gifts.

From the always thoughtful Myra, came this lovely group of gifts. She knew I didn't have many summer charts so she fed my "over one" addiction with these tiny By the Bay "Stitch An Inch" charts and a lovely pendant complete with seashell trim to frame one of them. The overdyed floss she included is a perfect soothing shade for summer stitching. Thank you, thank you, dear Myra--you are such a generous and kind friend!

Cindy, one of my very first blogging friends and fellow January birthday girl, sent me this sweet LHN chart called "This Is My Joy." With it she included not only the fabric, but a skein of Belle Soie silk in the loveliest shade of burgundy. I've never stitched with silk before and am so looking forward to it. Along with the stitching things, Cindy sent me a very cute Christmas mug to hold my hot chocolate while I'm munching on those chocolate covered raisins which she included. Your gifts truly made me smile, Cindy, and I want to thank you so very much!

All the way from Ireland, came this bunch of goodies from dear Lois. Isn't this pincushion the prettiest little thing? Lois knows I love blue and she chose such a soft, soothing color to stitch it in. She also included a skein of blue overdyed thread, a cute bookmark (perfect for a book-loving librarian like me!), and the cutest note cards... Lois, you have my color scheme down perfectly. If you could see all the blue and white in my house--you would know how much your gifts appeal to me! Thank you again for remembering me on my special day!

I was tickled pink to receive a surprise gift from dear Linda. She is one of my fellow "Grape Arbor Stitchers" whom I meet with each fall for a few days up in northern Pennsylvania. Linda sent me a generous gift certificate to 1-2-3 Stitch which I can't wait to use. I told her I already know exactly what I'll be spending it on--the threads for some of those darling Word Play charts that I received for Christmas. Thank you, thank you, Linda--you were so kind to remember me with something you knew I would love!

Brenda, my stitching friend from the Chicago area, surprised me with this packet of goodies. Isn't this scissor fob the cutest thing? It is stitched on both sides--a Goldfinch on one and a Martin birdhouse on the other. So perfectly stitched over one--I just love it, Brenda! She kept up her "bird" theme (which I love!) with a hummingbird needleminder and a lovely compartmentalized box which is perfect for holding buttons, bows, and charms. It turns out she and I share a birthday, so if you haven't visited her blog lately, please stop in and wish her a "Happy Birthday" as well! Thank you, Brenda--your thoughtful and generous gifts truly touched my heart...

Another gift from "across the pond" came from sweet June. Just look at this darling linen pouch embroidered with ribbons--how dainty and charming. I'll bet that is a hobby I might enjoy some day (if and when I have more spare time!). The bag was filled with this assortment of blue trims and ribbons and tiny butterfly and bird embellishments. And look at that birthday card--it's shaped like a frilly pink purse. I was so surprised to get your goodies, June, and I can't thank you enough for remembering me!

And last, but definitely not least, my fabulous friend, Valerie, sent me the cutest scissor fob in a pretty blue paisley pouch. The fob has all of my favorite shades of blue and such pretty accent beads... (Do you think everyone knows I like blue? I'd say they've figured me out quite well!). I'd love to visit San Francisco some day, meet Valerie in person, and have her take me on one of her "urban hikes". Watch out, Valerie--I just might make it out there some day! Thank you very much, my friend... you were so kind to remember me on my birthday!

I was also lucky enough to win a giveaway from Kathy Ellen. She sent me this gorgeous Carriage House Samplings design called "Quaker Christmas Samplers" for my prize. I can hardly wait to start stitching this one for next Christmas--I'm trying to decide on the perfect blue overdyed or silk. Any suggestions? Do any of you have a favorite blue thread that you've used? Thank you so much, Kathy--it's always a pleasure to visit your blog and your 12 Days of Christmas gifts made twelve stitchers, including me, very, very happy!

Whew! I still can't believe my luck in having "met" so many wonderful friends through my blog... Your comments, emails, cards, gifts--my goodness; I really have been overwhelmed by your kindness. I've been so very blessed in my life and I count each of you among my blessings. Thank you again for making my birthday so incredible--it certainly was one I'll never forget. Enjoy your day everyone--and take some time to do whatever makes you happiest! Bye for now...

A Little Bit of This, A Little Bit of That

2012-01-12T06:52:00.006-05:00

Good January morning to you all! And thank you again for all of your wonderful comments on my last post. I had so, so many questions about the title of the wintry design in my blog header, that I thought I'd answer those first. The chart is "Monthly Sampler: January" by Waxing Moon Designs which I stitched back in January 2010. If you're interested in seeing the whole design and reading about my finish, please click here. I remember it as being the perfect piece to stitch during that cold, cold January two years ago. Luckily, this January has proven to be very mild with little snow so far, but snow is forecast for tomorrow, so our luck could be changing.

NO-REPLY BLOGGER ISSUE: I tried to respond to each of you who asked about the January design individually, but some of you still don't have your email attached to your comments or blogs. When that happens, I get the dreaded "noreply-comment@blogger.com" when I hit reply. There have been a lot of posts about this lately, but I'm jumping on the bandwagon, too. It is very frustrating to not be able to answer your questions directly. Luckily, two stitching friends addressed this exact problem in recent posts. Stitchin' Sweet Sue, tells you exactly how to correct this problem in her post right here. And Shirlee, at her newly renamed blog, "The Easily Influenced Stitcher," has another helpful post right here. Please, please check your status--there are so many times I would love to say "thank you" for one of your kind comments or answer your questions, but there is no way to get in touch with you if you are a "no-reply" commenter. Check out either link and follow the simple instructions--we'll all be glad when we can communicate with each other more easily, right?

FINAL 2011 ORNAMENTS: I'm happy to say that my last four ornaments of 2011 were finally delivered to their new owners. That made a total of nine ornaments I created in December for friends!! It took a while, but this Prairie Schooler kitty is now residing with my blogging friend, Edit all the way across the Atlantic Ocean. Edit, who is Hungarian, but lives in Spain, and I became friends when she won one of my giveaways a while back. She is just as much of a Prairie Schooler lover as I am so I also included an old Just Cross Stitch magazine with a PS rooster chart in her Christmas package. I'm so glad she liked my gifts!

If this ornament looks familiar, it's because this is the third time I've stitched it! I only stitch things again that I really like, so you know I must really love this one to have stitched it three times. This snowflake went to a dear co-worker at the library who recently retired. I've given her an ornament each year for the past six or seven years, but she said this one is her favorite and she plans on leaving it out all winter. This Prairie Schooler piece is from No. 23: "A Prairie Year II.

This gingerbread boy took so long to arrive in England, I feared the poor thing was drifting aimlessly somewhere in the Atlantic. But, thankfully he found his way to his new home with my lovely friend, June. Again, this is the third time I've stitched this little guy--this one is stitched over one on 28 ct. evenweave. I ruched some gauzy burgundy colored ribbon to add for the trim and hanger. This one went to June because she is so full of J-O-Y; her blog is always a treat!

This next snowman probably looks familiar, as well! You all loved him so much when I stitched him last year, that I decided my youngest son's girlfriend might like one of her very own for a little remembrance at Christmas time. She really seemed to like him and sent me the sweetest thank-you note. I finished him exactly like the one that hangs on my own tree using 28 ct. sage jobelan and DMC threads. He is stitched over one as well, and, of course, a little plaid bow completes his look!

ABOUT THOSE TINY BOWS:
One of the most common questions I'm asked is how I make those tiny bows that you see on so many of my ornaments... Well, if it weren't for the helpful tutorial of that amazing finisher, Barbara from "To Stitch or Not To Stitch", I wouldn't know how to make them either. She did a wonderful step-by-step tutorial back in 2010 which you can find right here. My bows differ only in that they are much smaller. I start out with only about a seven inch piece of ribbon (usually 9 mm or 3/8 inch, but sometimes I use wider ribbon as you can see in the black and white gingham). And rather than tying another piece of ribbon around the center, I just wrap the thread (that I've used to gather up the center) around and around and tie it in the back to create a nice look. Trim the ends as long or short as you like and voilà--you have a sweet, (almost) perfect bow! Give it a try--it only took about half an hour to make the six in my photo.

I was totally caught by surprise when I received the most amazing RAK (random act of kindness) from Annie! I mean, sometimes, you suspect something is up, but, Annie truly, truly surprised me... And what a surprise it was. I first started following Annie's blog because of the darling little tin finishes that she does. I'm so proud to now have an original "Annie-made" tin of my own. Just look at this little perfectly-stitched beauty... She chose my favorite color, blue, included my initials, and inside, tucked the cutest pair of scissors.

But, wait--that's not all! In addition to some yummy chocolates, Annie also crocheted a charming gift-card holder in the most soothing shades of blue and green. And snuggled inside was a very generous Amazon gift card to buy myself a book or two for my Kindle. I think it took me an entire day to stop shaking my head in disbelief at Annie's generosity. You really spoiled my, my friend, and I will treasure your gifts! Thank you, thank you, thank you...I'm so glad our paths crossed through this amazing cross stitch blogging community.

So, do you have any special plans for the weekend? Since my ♫♫♫ birthday ♫♫♫ is coming up on the 16th, my sons thoughtfully asked what I wanted. I told them what I really wanted was to be invited to their apartment for dinner for a birthday dinner. They couldn't believe I would want to come to their "junky apartment" (their words!). But, I haven't been there in almost 3 years, so I can't wait! In a way, it will almost be like "going home again" since most of their furniture is the stuff we bought when we were first married. I can't wait to see what they plan to feed me; they're teasing me saying they'll be making a dish with lots of vegetables. For you long time readers, you know I don't eat green vegetables (remember this post from back in 2010), so I really hope they're just having a bit of fun with old mom.

Well, the next time I post, I'll be a year older. Funny how these birthdays keep coming around faster each year, isn't it? I'll leave you with the image of this beautiful bouquet of roses my three sons surprised me with on Christmas... Enjoy your weekends everyone and thank you again for your thoughtful comments and emails--I'm blessed to have each one of you in my life. Bye for now...

Welcoming in 2012!

2012-01-02T06:42:00.006-05:00

Happy New Year!! As another year begins, I want to thank all of you special cross stitching friends who have visited my blog over the past twelve months. Your kind comments and emails have been so encouraging and down-right complimentary that I feel blessed to have "met" each one of you. You've brought me more smiles than I can count and turned what sometimes began as a "horrible, terrible, no good, very bad day," into one filled with sunshine and warmth. You are such a special group and I simply want to let you know how much your friendship has come to mean to me, how inspired I have been by your stitching, and how happy I am to have started blogging almost three years ago...

December found me stitching a few small ornaments to send to blogging friends around the world. I wish I could have done more--simply ran out of time. Perhaps this year, I'll be able to plan ahead a bit more and add a few more people to my gift list. These are the gifts that have made their way to their new homes so far...

This trio of snowmen is now making their home with Shari in Indiana. Shari has triplet grandsons so I knew this would be a perfect choice for her. "Let It Snow" can be found in the Winter 1994 issue of Cross Stitch Sampler magazine.

"Christmas Robin" flew across the miles to the other side of Pennsylvania and is now making his nest at the home of Mary. This chart, by The Victoria Sampler, can be found in the 2010 Just Cross Stitch Ornament issue and it was stitched on 35 ct. natural Northern Cross linen (loved that stuff--thanks for the recommendation Theresa).

This was the second time this year, I stitched this L'R de rien freebie. My first one was done on pale pink; this one, for Cindy in New York, is stitched on 28ct. Wood Violet Jobelan, a lovely shade of lavender. I thought it would be a nice reminder of her daughter's trip to Europe this past year which included a visit to Paris.

Of course, you'll recognize my next finish as a Prairie Schooler Santa. I stitched him "over one" on 28 ct. tea dyed Monaco for my dear blogging friend, Lois, in Ireland. Lois was my fellow "Ornament a Month" stitcher this year and her 2011 collection is stunning--stop by her blog and check it out. This was the only one of my gifts which arrived in Europe in time for Christmas! There are still packages sent to friends in Spain and England which seem to be missing in action... I sure hope they make their way to their new homes eventually.

And to one of my very first blogging friends, the cardinal loving Myra in North Carolina, went this sweet ornament by Plum Pudding Needleart called "Winter's Song." I hope you're not getting tired of cardinals, Myra--you're certainly getting quite a collection!! I stitched this one "over one" on 28 ct. Bay Leaf Jobelan--a fabric I know I'll be using again. I loved the simple message on it...

I received a few goodies in the mail last week myself! I am always overwhelmed by the kindness of my fellow stitchers. All the way from The Netherlands came this sweet felt ornament created by the bubbly, very creative, Annette. I was especially touched that Annette stitched mine with blue threads knowing how much I love all shades of blue. Thank you so much, my sweet friend--your joyful blog always makes me smile!

From the very generous Mary came this bounty of Christmas gifts... a darling snowman chart, four pretty fabrics, peppermint chocolate truffles (oh, the pure decadence!), and not one, but two Christmas ornaments. One is a fun polka-dot ball monogrammed with a "C" and the other has three little snowmen bursting out of a Christmas present. On the bottom of it, Mary wrote: "3 Boys...Many Joys!" Yes, my three boys have brought me many joys and so have you, my friend! Thank you so very much for your wonderful gifts...

My final package came as a giveaway win from Shirlee at The Easily Influenced Stitcher. I received not only the LHN "Two White Houses" chart, but the fabric and floss needed to stitch it. I just love my prize, Shirlee, and I'm thrilled to have found a new blogging friend as well. In our correspondence regarding where to send my prize, we discovered that Shirlee grew up not more than half an hour from where I currently live. What a small world!! Thank you so much for the delightful gift, Shirlee--it will make a perfect piece to stitch in the fall...

As you can see, my first post of the new year seems to be sticking to my overly long format. I so appreciate you staying with me this far! Where will 2012 take me in terms of stitching? Well, I'm not really one to make goals other than my "Ornament a Month" continuing. I like to just stitch whatever calls my name at the moment... And there is a long-overlooked chart in my stash which seems to be screaming to me more loudly than the others at the moment. What is it? Well, I guess you'll just have to wait and be surprised!

Wishing each of you very a most wonderful new year. May 2012 be filled with love, laughter, and, of course, more time to stitch! Bye for now...

Wishing and Thanking

2011-12-20T06:58:00.004-05:00

Good morning, my friends! And how are you all faring with only a few days left until Christmas? I hope your shopping is done, presents are wrapped, and you're sitting there gazing at your lovely decorations... Wishful thinking, right? Well, my shopping is done this year thanks to that wonderful invention: the Amazon wishlist. Oh, it's made my shopping for my three sons and husband a breeze--click, click, click and I'm done! When they asked me for my Christmas wishlist, of course, it contained nothing but cross stitch items. "No way, mom," they cried, "you have more than enough cross stitch stuff." Oh, the horror of that statement: "Enough cross stitch stuff?!" Never!! They sure don't understand stitchers at all do they?

So, what made it on to your wishlists this year? For me, it was the charming With Thy Needle and Thread Wordplay series, Bent Creek's Thankful Quaker, a variety of linens, and some wee noses. Wee noses, you ask--yes these wee noses for a series of snowmen that I plan on stitching "some day!" I sure hope some of these appear under my tree this year... If not, I have a birthday coming up in mid-January when I might just be seeing a few stitching goodies appear from my guys, too. Hey, they should be thankful, right? Just think of the money they're saving by me not asking for expensive things like jewelry or designer clothing!

My other Christmas wish would be to meet each of you in person and thank you for all those wonderful compliments you left on my 2011 ornament post last week... I was truly touched by your sweet comments. Many of you emailed me asking for a picture of my large tree so, of course, I just have to oblige! I moved all my stitched ornaments on to it for this photo and now realize that I'm running out of room. It's looking a bit crowded, don't you think? But, at this stage in my life I won't be getting a bigger tree...We're all about down-sizing at the moment. I'll have to begin to display some of the ornaments in other places--my mantle, bowls, baskets, etc. Because, one thing is for sure--I'm not going to stop stitching my ornaments!!

Yes, all of these ornaments, except for nine, were stitched by me. It makes me so proud to see them all hanging there together knowing how much hard work went into each one. And I truly hope that some day my sons and their families will treasure them as much as I do...

Here is a closer view...

And another...

And yet another...

And below are the wonderful ornaments given to me by
some of my blogging friends from around the world...

As I mentioned, I've been very blessed to make such wonderful friends who share my passion for stitching. Five of them sent me very special packages for Christmas which I'd like to share with you...
I'll have to admit I let out a little squeal when I opened my dear friend Myra's sweet gifts. For one thing--they're blue, my favorite color. But, the main reason I was so thrilled about the little bird ornament, the thread catcher, and her crocheting, is that her work is so perfect--what a seamstress! I can only imagine being able to sew like she does some day... Thank you so much, Myra--you couldn't have chosen more perfect fabrics to make your creations from. I just love them!!

You may have noticed a few of these darling little creations on other blogs. My sweet friend Nia from Portugal is on a one woman mission to spread a "little love" through the world with her cute felt mistletoes. Isn't that a great idea for sending a thoughtful gift to a lot of friends without incurring huge postage costs? Nia made her very own Christmas postcard, as well. If you haven't visited her blog--check it out. It is one of the most positive, upbeat blogs around which makes me love to read it. Thank you, my friend--you always make me smile :)

From another long-time blogging friend, Cindy came this gorgeous Christmas package. Just look at this sweet bird on his pale blue background. I wish you could see this fabric in person--it is just like a lovely spring sky, wispy clouds included! Perfect choice, Cindy--she knows I love blue, too, along with birds. She also included four generous cuts of fabric in blue, pink, and two pretty prints. Cindy, you always spoil me, and I thank you so very much for your gifts and your friendship... I love your pretty bird pillow and I know I'll find the perfect use for the fabric.

And just look at this little cutie that arrived from Jennifer. She read about my snowman tree in my last post and decided she had a perfect addition to it. And she was right! This little button snowman (crafted from some of Jennifer's husband's grandmother's vintage buttons) has made himself totally at home with his snowmen buddies here on the other side of the state. Jenn has been creating some really fun holiday decorations out of her inherited button collection so drop in and visit her at Sweet Pea Stitches. Thank you so much, Jenn--I'll think of you each year when I place him on my snowman tree...

And last, but certainly not least, this lovely group of presents arrived from my blogging friend Edit all the way from Spain. Edit sent me something last Christmas that took almost two months to arrive so we're thrilled that the post offices of Spain and The U.S. worked so efficiently this year! Just look at this lovely stitching themed ornament that Edit made--don't you love it? Her work is flawless and I can't wait to add it to my tree. She also included a tiny ornament, a bellpull hanger, and some beads in Christmas red. Thank you so very much, my friend--I love your gifts so much!

I woke up to the most beautiful sight Sunday morning--the first snow of the season. There is just something so delightful about raising the window shade and seeing the landscape all freshly painted with sparkly, pure white snow. Here is the view of my backyard from my upstairs window. The snow has all melted now and it looks like we definitely won't be having a white Christmas, but it certainly added to the "Christmasy" feeling for a short while.

My wish for you, my dear friends, during this holiday season is...

May your holiday season be filled with love and laughter! Bye for now...

2011 Christmas Ornaments and Crazy for Cranberries

2011-12-12T06:34:00.004-05:00

Good morning my friends! And how is the countdown to Christmas progressing for you? I'm slowly making some headway, however it seems to be taking me longer than ever this year. If I can just get my cards done and a few more cookies baked, I think I'll be in fairly good shape, though! I do have some good news--my final monthly ornament has been stitched and finished and I couldn't be more pleased seeing them all displayed together. My December ornament is from a very old Leisure Arts Magazine from way back in February 1993. It is actually just the bottom motif of a very pretty monochromatic sampler called "Woodland Peace". I enjoyed stitching it so much, that you may just be seeing other motifs from this sampler stitched up as ornaments in the future.

DMC 3750 was used for my December ornament--and it has to be one of my favorite DMC colors. It's blue after all and I love any and all shades of that color as I'm sure you know if you are a regular reader of my blog. This skating scene is stitched over one on 28 ct. white evenweave and then accented with a pretty coordinating blue snowflake fabric, some tiny lace trim, a silver button, and a couple of silver bells. This whole ornament has such a nice old-fashioned appeal, don't you think?

So do you want to see my 2011 monthly ornaments displayed all together? Do you? Do you really? I've had emails and comments saying just how much some of you enjoyed last year's 2010 ornament post and I'm truly touched. So, I decided to recreate it for you with this year's ornaments (all pictures are clickable for a bigger view)...

Monthly Ornaments: 2011

2011 Monthly Ornaments: January ~ March

2011 Monthly Ornaments: April ~ June

2011 Monthly Ornaments: July ~ September

2011 Monthly Ornaments: October ~ December

Do you have a favorite? I think mine is my October ornament "Good Tidings To You," but close seconds are November's "Oh, Joy" and January's "Santa Quartet." I tried to make each one a bit special with added buttons, bows, and bells. Some are frilly, some cute, some a bit country, and some are more traditional--but, overall, I'm very proud of my "2011 Collection"!

On to the second part of my blog post title: Crazy For Cranberries... Last week, I had the pleasure of meeting Lee and Linda for lunch and a bit of shopping and stitching. I wanted to take them a little gift for Christmas so I whipped up two of these tiny treasures. What does this have to do with cranberries?

Well, the name of this design is Cranberry Deer Pinkeep by Beehive Needleworks. It was the first time I had ever stitched one of Judy's designs and I really enjoyed it. These are stitched over one on some mystery 28 ct. linen with DMC 221 (which I call the Prairie Schooler Christmas red!). I couldn't decide whether to turn them into hanging ornaments or just leave them as pinkeeps so I included a little hanger made out of the same cording for Lee and Linda. That way they can decide how they want to display their pieces and it took the pressure off me. Too many decisions this month anyway, don't you think?

I also gave each of them a loaf of my Cranberry Pumpkin Bread. Here is a photo of all that I was able to hide away from my husband who is just crazy about this stuff. It has a really unique flavor with the tang of the cranberries and the sweetness of the pumpkin and spices. A perfect bread for this time of year and it's always a big hit when I serve it at Thanksgiving, too. If anyone wants the recipe, just let me know...

So what started my cranberry craze? Well, my two older sons came over for their usual Sunday night dinner last week and I mentioned that I really wanted to string popcorn and cranberries to use as the garland on my tree in the kitchen. Honestly, the looks they gave me--it was like I had just grown another head or something. They thought that was one of the silliest ideas ever: "Why on earth would you want to do that, mom?!!" Because, it's something I always wanted to do...Because, to me, stringing popcorn represents a time when Christmas wasn't so crazy busy and handmade gifts and simple, good cheer were more abundant...Because, simply put, it would make me happy...

So, I set out to do it all by myself (which seems to happen a lot at Christmas time when you are the lone female in a family with older sons!)... Did you know that you can pop regular old popcorn right in the microwave?? Who knew?? All you do is take about 1/4 cup of plain popcorn, place it in a small, brown paper lunch bag, fold down the top edges several times, lay it on its side, and microwave it on high for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes (remove when the popping slows down so it doesn't burn). I then took some invisible thread, a long, strong needle, and my cranberries and set to work. You can use any pattern you want, but I chose a three popcorns to one cranberry ratio. One hint to make the stringing easier is to use day old popcorn so it doesn't crumble as easily.

The result of my efforts were these cranberry and puffy white garlands that now adorn my little "snowman" tree in my kitchen. What do you think? For years we had had this 4-foot tree downstairs in the basement where the boys and their friends used to gather to play video games or watch television. But, with my sons all grown and gone now, I decided to bring it up into the kitchen. I wish I had done this years ago as I just love seeing the soft white lights as we eat dinner or do the dishes each evening. Yes, every single ornament on it is a snowman with the exception of a few red and green jingle bells... We have snowmen (and a few snowwomen) of every size and shape. There are sledding snowmen, skating snowmen, even a snowman fishing. (None of my stitched snowmen are on this little three foot tree--I save them for my big tree). With all those tiny faces grinning at me each morning, it certainly gets my day off to a great start!

Snowman Tree: December 2011

I recently lent one of my charts to my friend, Lynn, in Canada and as a thank you she surprised me with this lovely tree of gifts. A smiling snowman notepad, a snowman magnet, and the prettiest snowflake fabric in the most wonderful blue color. Thank you so much, Lynn--it was not necessary at all; I was happy to share my chart with you. But, I truly appreciate your kind gifts...

My first Christmas gift arrived all the way from England... Just look at what my friend, June, made for me! The prettiest pink and brown heart-shaped sampler I've ever seen. And look, there is a little cat at the girl's feet...Just adorable, June--you couldn't have made a better choice for me. Your work is so special and perfect and I will treasure it always. Thank you for thinking of me and for the pretty blue thread as well! I can't wait to find the perfect project for it...

I'm so sorry these posts of mine are so exhaustingly long--thank you to any one who has reached this final paragraph! Perhaps in 2012 I'll start learning to write shorter posts and post more often. We'll see... Enjoy your week and, as always, thanks for stopping by and for your kind comments. I so appreciate each and every one! Bye for now...

The Gift of Cross Stitch

2011-12-01T06:52:00.005-05:00

Happy December, everyone! How on earth did it get to be the final month of 2011 already? It seems like just yesterday that it was January and I was complaining about the cold weather and planning my stitching goals for a new year. I'm beginning to think the older I get, the more quickly time passes--do any of you notice that?

Unfortunately, I have no "new" stitching to share with you today, but I do have some "new to you" pieces that I want to show you. Most are things I stitched before I began my blog in 2009. While visiting my parents and my sister over Thanksgiving, I was delighted to notice just how many of my cross stitched gifts they had displayed in their homes. You don't think they just put them out because they knew I would be visiting, do you? No--they truly appreciate the time and effort a stitched piece takes and I think they genuinely enjoy the stitched gifts I've given them through the years. Anyway, while I was up in New York for Thanksgiving, I snapped these photos to give you a little tour of pieces I've given them for special occasions.

First up, is "Outside My Window" by Lynn's Prints (from the 2005 Just Cross Stitch Christmas Ornament issue). I stitched this for my mom a few years ago because it reminded me of the cardinals that used to visit the bird feeder outside the kitchen window each winter in my little hometown in western New York. Aren't the little "icicle" beads cute?

My mom loves birds just as much as I do, but she's especially fond of hummingbirds. I'm not sure what magazine the chart for this little hummer appeared in, but I placed him in a flowery frame and he now sits on my mom's nightstand next to her bed.

This Just Nan design, called "Robin's Wreath" was my mom's Mother's Day gift a few years ago. It's normally displayed on her bedroom wall (I took it down to photograph it).

Here is a closer view of Robin's Wreath. Don't you love the tiny robin's eggs in the nest in the lower right corner? I think the colors and details in this one make it one of my favorite finishes ever. The color of the fabric is more accurate in this photo--if I remember correctly, I used 28 ct. glass blue Monaco.

Another Just Nan finish called "High Hopes" is displayed in my sister's breakfast room. I gave this to her back in 2008 when she moved to a new home in a new city in a new state. It was a fresh start for her and I thought the saying on it "High Hopes Grow Here" was perfect for that time in her life. I changed the cat to an all black one to represent her old cat, Cinders. In the very center of the stitched garden is a silver birdbath charm. I'm sure the kitty is eyeing the birdbath with high hopes of capturing one of the feathery bathers!

I've stitched this Prairie Schooler "Good Morning" piece a couple of times and this one now hangs in my sister's rooster-themed kitchen at her lake house. I recently gave it to her in September for her 50th birthday and she just loves it. This chart appeared in the January/February 2002 issue of Just Cross Stitch Magazine.

I wanted to show you the little labels that I make for each of my framed cross stitch gifts and below is a good example. I take some theme or element of the design and create a "little something" on the computer to note the occasion and date... In this case I found a vintage-looking rooster and added a note to my sister along with my birthday wishes. Then I simply printed it, cut it out with fancy scissors, and apply it to the back of the gift with double-stick tape. It just gives the framed piece a bit of an extra personal touch!

The final stop on my cross stitch "tour" is this stitched bouquet of wildflowers that was placed in a frame with a mirror below. My mom has it hanging right by her front door in the her new home, but for years it was in the dining room of my childhood home. I checked the date on it and it was stitched in 1985!! It's held up quite well don't you think? This one was from the "The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady" cross stitch booklet.

Do any of you remember the actual book, The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady, that the designs were based on? It was so popular back in the late '70s (I know, I know...some of you weren't even born yet!!). The book was actually a reproduction of an authentic 1906 diary filled with the most lovely drawings and paintings of wildlife along with the author's observations and thoughts on nature. I think it is still one of the most charming books I own. In the upper middle of the collage below, is the drawing that the cross stitch was based on.

The year that I stitched the above piece for my mom has a very special meaning to me as well. 1985--that means I was stitching it while pregnant with my middle son. Yes, he will celebrate his 26th birthday on December 4th. He'll be coming for dinner and, of course, that very special dessert that he requests each and every year, "Giant Chocolate Eclair." It's been a good year for him with a very positive job change and I have faith that 2012 will bring him even more happiness. So... ♫♫♫ Happy Birthday ♫♫♫ to you, my dear middle son!

The winner of the LHN "Season of Plenty" chart is ... Hazel! Congratulations, Hazel--please email me with your postal address and I'll get this off to you right away. Of course, who knows how long it will take to travel all the way to The United Kingdom at this time of year. I hope you enjoy stitching it as much as I did, Hazel, and that you'll pass it along to another stitcher when you're finished...

Before I forget, I want to thank all of you for your wonderful comments on my "Thanksgiving Comes Again" finish in my last post! You really made me smile with all of your compliments... And, I'm glad I was able to suggest a way to help many of you change the picture display on Blogger. I honestly prefer the old display rather than the black "lightbox" effect and I'm glad Blogger is giving us an option.

I'll be back soon with a more "seasonal" post--I promise!! Until then, try to find some time for yourself in this very busy month! Bye for now...

Thanksgiving Comes Again

2011-11-15T09:21:00.004-05:00

Hello, my friends! I've been busily working on a surprise finish for you (although my buddies from the weekend stitching getaway already know about this piece). Just in time for turkey day, I'm so pleased to present my finish of Prairie Schooler's Book No. 141: "Thanksgiving Comes Again." I've been working on this one over the past month in between all my little ornaments and smalls. Even though stitching little things brings me the most pleasure, I do love a larger piece now and then...especially when the colors are as gorgeous as these!

This finish is stitched on my favorite 32 ct. flax Belfast linen with the suggested DMC threads. The tiny details in this piece really appealed to me: the steaming apple pie, the pumpkin-filled wheel barrow, the cornstalks left standing in the fields... I truly enjoyed stitching it all--even each of those words! So what are your Thanksgiving plans? Are you all busy gathering your food and supplies for next week's feast? I'll be celebrating Thanksgiving with my parents for the first time in almost 20 years and I so look forward to it. Now that they've moved up north again from Florida, it is much easier to get together for the holidays...My contributions to our feast will include a pumpkin pie, some pumpkin-cranberry bread, and a platter of cookies--all the goodies I love to bake so it's not a chore for me at all!

While wandering through Marshall's the other day, I stumbled upon the perfect frame for this LHN "Season Of Plenty" design that I had stitched a couple of years ago. It had been stuffed into a dark drawer since 2009 so I was thrilled to finally display it this autumn. Since I stitched this one "over one" it needed a tiny frame to show it off and I thought this dark walnut frame was ideal. I recently won another copy of "Season of Plenty" as part of Jane's wonderful giveaway so if any of you would like my second copy, please let me know in your comments. If there is more than one person who would like it, I'll have a drawing to determine the winner of the chart...

I wanted to include one more prize in the giveaway package that Annie won in my last post, so I stitched a black and white pincushion for her and filled it with crushed walnut shells. I'm so glad Annie enjoyed her black, white, and pink goodies--I know she'll put them to good use! (Several of you asked about purchasing a stitching bag like the one I offered in my recent giveaway. So if you would like to purchase one of your own, please email me for details.)

Christmas came early to my house when I received this gorgeous ornament from the talented Daffycat (aka Sharon). I was lucky enough to win her giveaway in honor of her 4th Blogoversary. Just look at this little beauty!! Sharon stitched and finished it so perfectly, that I think she could easily have a second career as a professional finisher... Don't you love the dainty ribbon and bead edging treatment. Even my husband who rarely notices my stitching unless I hold it right in front of his face, saw her ornament sitting on the kitchen counter and said, "Wow--that's finished nicely!" So, you know it must be true. Thank you again, Sharon... It will have a place of honor on my tree this Christmas!

A Blogger Photo Diplay Tip: So, do you dislike the new way Blogger is displaying our photos as much as I do? I really don't like the way my photos look on the black background that the new photo display uses... Well, I did a bit of research (yep, that librarian part of me is always researching things!) and found out that it is simply a matter of a making one click on the settings page of your blog. Here is the "unofficial" Google instruction page:

How To Disable Bloggers Lightbox

It worked for me! Just go to the proper setting and click "yes" or "no" in the box that says "Showcase Images With Lightbox". Easy as can be! I really prefer the photos opening in their own windows with the nice white background...

I probably won't be posting again until after Thanksgiving so I want to wish all of my readers, followers, and friends a wonderful holiday. I know Thanksgiving isn't celebrated world-wide, but I hope we can all find many things in our lives to be thankful for. We all have our stitching and this wonderful blogging/stitching community, right? Why even this plump squirrel has found some juicy berries on the tree by my front porch for which I'm sure he's thankful! Isn't he huge? Obviously, he's been feasting on nuts and berries to hold him over for the coming winter! I shot this photo through the glass window from inside my house and am amazed at how well it turned out. The berries have all been picked clean now, so I know Mr. Squirrel is resting happily after his feast!

Enjoy your Thanksgiving with friends and family and I look forward to visiting all of your blogs very soon to see your holiday stitching, decorating, and food. Don't forget to leave a note in your comment if you would like to win the LHN "Season of Plenty" chart! Bye for now...

Getaway Weekend and Giveaway Winner

2011-11-08T10:03:00.002-05:00

Good morning everyone! Oh, what a string of glorious fall days we've had here--the sun, the blue skies, the crisp leaves...It's really too bad it has to end. What a difference a sunny day can make in one's life, don't you agree? And how about that extra hour we gained on Sunday due to the time change? I told my husband I would love it if every Sunday could include an extra hour--I seemed to have so much more time to relax and stitch...

Ornament stitching has been my priority over the past two weeks and the first finish I have to share with you is this darling rabbit from the 2011 Just Cross Stitch Ornament Issue. "Good Tidings to You," designed by The Sampler Girl, just popped out at me the minute I looked through the magazine and I knew it would be the first thing I stitched. I changed the color of red to DMC 221 since I didn't have the recommended overdyed, but other than that, I used the suggested threads. I stitched him "over one" on 28 ct. tea-dyed monaco since I like my ornaments on the small side. (But you all knew that didn't you?!)

For this finish, I used the burgundy gingham fabric to accent the front and to back the ornament, trimmed it with a bit of lace and added a brown bow and hanger. The bow really isn't as brown as is shown in my photo--it actually is a great match for the bunny's fur color. Most of you know, I've been stitching an ornament each month so this finish is Mr. October...

My November ornament finish is this pair of smiling snowmen that I found in the 2010 Just Cross Stitch Ornament Issue. "Oh Joy" is designed by Val's Stuff and I just couldn't resist the little bald-headed duo! I did make some color changes and ended up using DMC 221, 520, 844, 301, and B5200 on 28 ct. sage jobelan.

Another tiny finish (yep--it's another over one stitching!) that just makes me smile. I backed the ornament in the green gingham fabric shown in the photo and added a red and green checked hanger and bow. I'm really into these tiny bows at the moment, aren't I? Hope you're not getting tired of them!!

My final ornament is a birthday gift for my dear blogging friend Mary. I fell in love with this "Noel Ornament Stamp" (by Jeannette Douglas in the 2011 JCS Ornament Issue) when my friend, Pam, showed us her finish on her blog recently. Don't you love the tiny chickadee?

Although most of this one is stitched "over one" which I generally enjoy doing--that stylized "E" in "Noel" just about drove me crazy. It's stitched on 32 ct. Confederate Gray linen using the suggested DMC and Sampler Threads. I omitted the date and finished it up with some purple beads, purple cording and, what else, a tiny bow!! Mary was very happy with her birthday gift and I was so pleased with the final result that I think I'll end up stitching it again just for myself...

GETAWAY STITCHING WEEKEND: Two weeks ago, four stitching friends and I headed up to Erie, PA for our annual Bed & Breakfast getaway weekend. Let me tell you, it was such a relaxing and delightful three days. The breakfasts were outstanding and the company even better. This year, we decided to kit up little ornaments from the 2011 JCS Ornament Issue for each other. I really enjoyed doing this and below are my kits of "Good Tidings to You" all ready to be packaged up.

I took a photo of my finish and applied it to gift bags, stuffed in some gingham tissue paper, and there you have it--five little gifts for five special stitching friends. (Four of us stitchers, plus the innkeeper who stitches as well and so patiently tolerates our scattered threads and stitching lamps!)

And I didn't come home empty-handed either... Just look at the gifts that Lee and Linda made for each of us! Lee created this lovely fall themed pincushion complete with a cluster of grapes charm and some grape colored pins. And Linda and her husband designed this lovely grape colored mug for us to commemorate our weekend. Why all the "grapiness?" Well, the name of the B&B is the "Grape Arbor Bed and Breakfast" so there you have it. Thank you so much Lee and Linda--I'll think fondly of our weekend each time I look at your gifts.

But wait...there's more! As I mentioned, each stitcher kitted up her own ornament for us so I came home with four soon-to-be stitched ornament kits... Amazingly not one of us selected the same design and it was such fun to see what appealed to each person. Thank you all for your kits and for such a memorable weekend. I'm already looking forward to next year!

GIVEAWAY WINNER: So, I imagine you're all wondering just who won my 500+ follower giveaway? Well, I won't keep you in suspense any longer... I let the random number generator pick for me and up came #12... Guess who left the 12th comment on the giveaway post? Why none other than the very lucky...

ANNIE!!

Congratulations, Annie--please email me with your mailing address and your prizes will be on their way to you. Thank you all for entering...I loved reading about your blog names and how they came to be. I honestly wish I had a gift for each of you...

I also want to offer a warm welcome to my new followers...I've tried to get around to your blogs to say hello, too, but still have a few to get to... Anyway, I'm glad you're here and that you find my little part of the blogosphere interesting enough to follow. (And for Sherry who asked for details on my November header--the handsome turkey is from Prairie Schooler's Fall & Winter (No. 90) chart.)

Well, that's it for today's post! Thank you all for stopping in and saying "hello!" Each time I see a new comment on one of my posts, it feels a bit like I'm opening a little present--I truly appreciate each and every one... Enjoy your week! Bye for now...

Trick or Treat Lane

2011-10-26T06:57:00.001-04:00

Good morning, all! I can hardly believe October is almost over, can you? I hope you're all enjoying your autumn and the colors and scents of the season. I sure wish it would last a bit longer, but it looks like old man winter will be arriving soon. And from the forecast, we're in for a worse winter than normal...

Not much stitching has been going on in my house, but I do have one fun new finish to share with you. May I present... "Trick or Treat Lane" by The Stitching Parlor Don't you love the ghosts carrying their little treat pails? And how about the scary looking cat? Adorable...Those must be very young "ghosts" carrying the treat buckets because any older trick-or-treater knows that buckets just don't hold enough candy! As my sons got older, they "graduated" to taking pillow cases to hold all their collected goodies as they haunted the neighborhood. I think I loved Halloween as much as they did--it was such fun to see their excitement as they arrived home, spread out their bounty on the floor, divided it into categories, and generously "shared" anything coconut related with their old mom.

I didn't have any of the suggested Crescent Colours so I substituted an assortment of overdyed threads and I'm very happy with the result. The fabric, 28 ct. stormy gray jobelan, drove me crazy, though. It was just so flopsy with no body to it at all. But, I do like the color of it; reminds me of a typical gray blustery Halloween. The house is one stitch too short, but, shhh...don't tell anyone; we're the only ones who have to know! After I discovered my error, I realized it wouldn't affect the outcome of the piece at all, so I just let it be. There were supposed to be pumpkin "buttons" in front of the houses, but I just stitched in some pumpkins and gourds instead. Although the stitching of this one took much longer than I expected (those daisy stitched leaves about did me in!), the end result really makes me smile.

We had a bit of a "trick" of our own played on us two weeks ago. My youngest son brought his girlfriend home for a few days so we decided to show off the city to her since she had never visited the area before. Now, Pittsburgh always surprises any first time visitor. Most people still have the idea that it is a dirty, industrial city, but over the 34 years that we've lived in its suburbs, the city has experienced a miraculous revitalization. It has won many, many awards over the past ten years including Forbes Magazine's Most Liveable City, one of the Top 10 Cities For Single Women, Top 10 Cities For Raising a Family, Economist Magazine's Best U.S. City In Which To Live, and just this week National Geographic Travel Magazine named it one of 20 Must-See Destinations In 2012! Surprised? Come visit--you'll be amazed!

Anyway, the four of us drove down to the city on a glorious fall day--perfectly blue sky, sunshine, crisp air. After parking the car, we began heading toward the center of the city when we passed a man sitting on a park bench who spoke an ominous warning: "Be careful, there are zombies ahead." "Ummm...okay" we replied as we dismissed his words. As we walked on, we came across a bride and groom dressed like zombies and thought that must be what he was referring to. A bit early for Halloween, but...whatever. We continued to walk past a few more scattered "zombies," but as we rounded the corner and entered Market Square, we were suddenly surrounded by a teeming sea of zombies. There were short zombies, tall zombies; thin zombies, fat zombies; old zombies and even baby zombies being strolled in their little zombified carriages by scary looking zombie parents. We had unknowingly placed ourselves smack-dab (I don't think I've ever written that word before!) in the middle of the Pittsburgh Zombie Fest 2011 .

Apparently, we weren't the only innocent bystanders to be caught unaware that zombies had taken over Pittsburgh... Do you recognize the family above? Why, it's actor Tom Cruise (in town to shoot his latest movie "One Shot"), Katie Holmes, and their daughter, Suri, who ended up with a zombie stalking them. Sweet little Suri looks totally unaware of exactly who is behind her. (Unfortunately, we didn't get to see the Cruise family in person, but the fan who shot this photo must have been very happy).

Anyway, at first it was entertaining, but it slowly began getting creepy--way too much fake blood puddled on the sidewalks or oozing out of zombies' mouths, creepy bulging zombie eyes, and torn, blood-covered clothing. After a tasty lunch in a non-zombie inhabited restaurant we made a hasty exit from Zombiefest 2011 to show our guest the "prettier" sides of Pittsburgh. But, yes, Pittsburgh can add yet another honor to its list--it is now the proud owner of the new Guinness World Record for the largest gathering of "zombies" in one place--there were over 4900 of the creatures there on that sunny Saturday! If you'd like to see some of the zombies who took over the city that day, you might enjoy (?) this Zombie video. It was all a bit much for me--I can't even be in the same room when a scary commercial is on television! I cover my eyes and start singing to cover the noise of the commercials--weird, aren't I? Are any of you scaredy-cats like me?

As a thank you for her visit, my son's girlfriend treated us to this sampler of miniature cupcakes from Baked By Melissa all the way from New York City. Just look at these darling creations--each is the size of a quarter and they came in the most unusual and delectable flavors--s'mores, peanut butter and jelly, even chocolate chip pancake...They were almost too cute to eat--almost!! It was so nice to have another female around the house--we all hope she comes to visit again soon...

I've been lucky enough to win a couple of giveaways lately. First of all, Kajsa, from "Kajsa's Stitching and More" blog, found herself with two of the 2011 Prairie Schooler Santas so she nicely offered to have a drawing for her extra copy. I was so happy to win it as I've collected most of the other years, but hadn't purchased the latest one yet. Thank you so much Kajsa--I know I'll love stitching him and his little red cardinal!

And just look at this array of goodies that I won from dear Jane over at "Buttons & Stitches" blog. I told Jane that everything she included in her package was something I would have picked myself: the ribbons, the charms, the ric-rak, the fabric, the thread, the cocoa mix--oh, I love it all. But, the highlight of the giveaway was the charming Margaret Sherry Pumpkin Pie kitty that she stitched. Jane's stitching and finishing are just perfect and I'm so proud to have a piece of her work on display in my home. Thank you so very, very much, Jane--your gifts made my day!

GIVEAWAY ALERT...
There is still time to enter my giveaway to celebrate my 500+ followers (on my last post only). Entries will be accepted through November 1st and I can't wait to find out which of you will win my little treats! Good luck to all...

Do you have any special plans for the weekend? I'm heading north to Erie, PA to stitch the days away with four blogging friends at a quiet Bed & Breakfast. It sounds like perfect stitching weather with nothing but rain and gray skies forecast.

Thank you, as always, for your wonderful comments and emails--I appreciate each and every one! I'll be back soon with the winner of the giveaway; until then, I hope you all enjoy a week doing whatever makes you happiest. Bye for now...

It's Giveaway Time!

2011-10-12T06:48:00.001-04:00

Hello, my friends! Well, I finally gathered a few items together to celebrate my 500+ followers, but, before I tempt you with them, I have a couple of small finishes to share with you... I wanted to send my blogging friend, Valerie, a little something for her birthday so I stitched up this sweet pin pillow from the Prairie Schooler J*K*L chart (Book No. 105). Since she has an October birthday, I thought the grinning Jack-O-Lantern would be perfect. I backed it with the fabric shown and made the cording out of the same DMC shade that the pumpkin is stitched in... The cute little guy is now sharing Valerie's apartment on the other side of the U.S. in sunny California... I'm so glad you like it, Valerie--I really enjoyed creating it for you!

Another tiny finish--and I do mean tiny--is this darling design called "Froth and Bubble" created by the very talented Mindi at Joie de Vivre blog. Mindi offered a "little something" to anyone who stitched her twin witches huddled around their cauldron before October 1st. Isn't this just the cutest Halloween scene? I used my own choices of DMC giving the witches purple socks along with green faces and hands. I also added a long handled spoon so the witch on the right could stir her bubbling brew.

Stitched over one on 28 ct. country mocha Cashel linen, I turned it into this little pillow with some black-bubbled fabric, a bit of black and white checked ribbon, and a gold star topped with a black button. It is now sitting on my side table in my kitchen and every time I see it, I smile... You all know how much I love "tiny" things and these witches that Mindi designed are just perfect! Anyway, I sent this photo of my finish to her as she requested and was so happy to hear that she liked it.

To thank me for stitching her design, Mindi sent me this most delightful assortment of goodies! Just look at this gorgeous fabric covered notebook that she created! It is perfect for keeping track of my starts and finishes, wish lists, supplies to be purchased, etc. I'll keep it right inside my stitching bag, Mindi. Her gift also included a black mesh make-up bag, two Halloween pencils, some yummy apple cinnamon lip balm, a packet of fun-colored travel tissues, and some tasty mints. If you haven't discovered Mindi's blog yet, please pay her a visit; you won't be disappointed. So, thank you again, Mindi--you had already given me a gift in the form of your charming design and I was so touched that you would add to it with these wonderful goodies...

Okay--on to my 500+ follower giveaway... Do you remember how thrilled I was last Thanksgiving when my dear niece and sister-in-law presented me with this delightful stitching bag? I've used it so much--in fact I would say it is one of my "required" stitching accessories, just as much needles, fabric, and threads are...It helps me stay very organized; in fact I keep mine right beside my stitching chair with little folders in it for each project or soon-to-be stitched project. Its portable size makes it ideal to take to an afternoon of stitching with friends, too.

Well, I thought you might like the chance to win one of your very own, so I asked my niece to order me this little beauty to give away to one of my followers... This version is black and white with the prettiest raspberry colored monogram that says, what else, "STITCHING." It has two mesh pockets on either end which are perfect for storing needles, scissors, eyeglasses. And the interior is wonderful for holding your current projects or things you are thinking about stitching.

Of course, I didn't want to send an empty bag, so I'm including two fat quarters, some lovely pink hand-dyed thread from Nina's Threads, a handy notebook to keep track of your stitching needs, and of course, a bar of Lindt dark chocolate. How does one of my lucky followers go about winning this package of goodies? Well, all you have to do is leave me a comment that you would like to win (on this post only) and tell me about your blog's name... Some of your blogs have such interesting names that I'd love to know the story behind them. If you have a blog named after yourself--well, tell me if you ever thought about changing the name or if you like it just as is. And, if you have no blog--what would you name yours if you created one? Please do not advertise this on your blogs--I want this to be for my regular readers and followers. In fact, there is a little bonus for those of you who regularly comment on my blog. If you commented on either of my September posts before October 10th, I will automatically give you one extra entry just to thank you for taking the time to say hello without the incentive of a "prize."

I guess it's only fair that I tell you how my blog got its name, right? Well, almost three years ago when I thought about starting this blog, I got the idea that it would be fun to stitch an ornament-sized piece every week for a full year...That was my dream--my "stitching dream" and that is how my blog "Stitching Dreams" came to be. If you are a new reader, you might want to go back to the beginning of my blog and see how far I've come. Back in January of 2009, I knew none of you in the stitching / blogging community. No one commented on my posts and I was never expecting that anyone would. I was honestly blogging to simply document my finishes... Well, ever-so-slowly, comments would trickle in and before you know it, I had more and more readers and even better, more and more blogging friends and inspirational blogs to follow myself. I wish I could give each of you a prize to say thank you for such wonderful comments, emails, and, most importantly, your friendship. It has meant more to me than you'll ever know...

I'll keep the giveaway open until November 1st and announce the winner soon after. Good luck to all!! Enjoy your last warm days of autumn! Bye for now...

Stitching For a Cause: 2011

2011-09-29T06:55:00.005-04:00

Good morning everyone! Hope you're all enjoying some lovely fall weather--isn't it hard to believe that October begins in two days? I can't say this has been ideal fall weather here in western Pennsylvania, but we've had a few crisp, sunny days to get me through the unusually cool and rainy month that we've had. So, enough about the weather...you're here to see what I've been stitching, right?

This is the second year that I've participated in stitching for the Pumpkin Patch & Co Breast Fund. (My entry last year was this little Christmas Chick). For the past two years, Cathey (our fearless leader also known as Pumpkin) organized a group of stitchers to stitch an ornament (or something else) to contribute to the yearly Attic Needlework Silent Auction For Breast Cancer Research. Each year stitchers from all over the world donate items and raise thousands and thousands of dollars to help fight the war on breast cancer and I'm honored to participate. Last year, Pumpkin's little group raised almost $900 for the cause! If you want to consider contributing a piece of your stitching, it's not too late. Just check out the Pumpkin Patch & Co Breast Fund for details or email Cathey...

I created two pieces to donate to the auction this year. First, I stitched this lovely French freebie from L'R de rien. I thought stitching it on pink would be perfect for the breast cancer auction so I used white DMC on a 28 ct. dusty pink evenweave. A simple beaded border and white hanger and bow accent it. I'm very pleased with how it turned out and I hope someone at the auction likes it, too...

My other donation is from Little House Needleworks and is called "Faith". I really loved the quote on this one: "Faith is being sure of what we hope for." Don't you think it offers a wonderful sentiment for someone battling breast cancer or any difficult life situation? This is stitched on 32 ct. putty jobelan with Crescent Colour threads. I substituted some of the suggested colors so they would show up better on the fabric, though. I really love the soft, muted shades in this finish! There was supposed to be a little lady bug crawling up the flower's stem, but I left him off. I think I wanted this to be a more "serious" piece.

To finish it off, I ended up ruching some white satin ribbon, adding some white pearly pins, topping it with a bow, and making a pinkeep. I just about squealed when I found the backing fabric at Joann Fabrics last week! I had originally pictured some sort of floral backing in my head, but when I spotted the fabric pictured behind the pinkeep, it had the perfect colors to accent the stitching itself. So, these two finishes will be going on a long trip all the way to Arizona and the breast cancer auction where I hope someone loves them as much as I do...

Last weekend, we headed down to Washington, D.C. to visit our youngest son; I hadn't seen him in over two months so I was more than ready. It was so nice to visit his new apartment and, wow, just look at the view from his balcony. Being on the 10th floor enables him to look out at the Washington Monument, the Pentagon, and the Potomac River. I told him it certainly looks nothing like our first apartment which was pretty run-down and, at times, had water trickling down the inside walls of our bedroom during the winter (which then froze creating a sort of arctic headboard at the top of our bed)!! But, it is those memories which make you realize how far you've come...

Here are a few shots I took of the memorials and monuments. Although I've seen them many times, I still feel quite patriotic each time I glimpse them again. All photos are clickable for a better look and you can also click the links underneath for more information...

The Thomas Jefferson Memorial

The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial

The Washington Monument
The monument has been closed ever since the
August 2011 earthquake that hit the D.C. area. The
5.8 magnitude earthquake caused a large crack at its top.

I think my favorite moment of our trip was when my son told me he's come to realize just how far treating others with kindness and respect would take a person in life. And then he said what good role models his mom and dad had been in that respect... Aww...it does a mom's heart a world of good to realize some of those life lessons that I tried to instill in my sons as they were growing up, actually sunk in. Kindness truly does go a long, long way...

Well, that wraps up another way-too-long post from me. Thanks ever so much for all those great comments on my last post. It seems many of you share my sugar addiction...I wish I could tell you I'm conquering it, but it's a struggle! And I so appreciate all of your suggestions for storing my ornaments--there were several good ones which I plan to implement in the future. Look for my 500+ follower giveaway next time--I hope you'll like it. Until then, enjoy your weekends and happy stitching. Bye for now...

Smokin' Snowman and Sugary Sweets

2011-09-15T06:50:00.006-04:00

Brrr... and a chilly good morning to you, my blogging buddies. It's a rainy, 55 degrees here in western Pennsylvania with the temperature expected to plummet into the low 40s tonight. Doesn't that sound more like late November weather rather than mid-September? Whatever happened to the warm and sunny days of early autumn? I think it's a perfect day to sit inside and stitch. After working at the library Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, then catching up on laundry and cleaning yesterday, I think I deserve a day to relax, don't you?

Because I've worked more than usual lately, I don't have much to show you, but I do have a couple of Christmasy pieces that I hope you'll enjoy. I've finally caught up on my monthly ornament stitching--and, believe it or not, each one is finish/finished as well! This Prairie Schooler snowman (from the 1999 Just Cross Stitch Ornament issue) made his appearance just in time to become my ornament finish for August. I've actually stitched him two other times, but the others were given away. And this is the first one on black fabric (32 ct. Belfast linen) as well. Don't you love how he just pops off the dark fabric? I backed this one with the cheery black, green, and red fabric shown behind it, and attached a green and red plaid ribbon with two green buttons to hang it from the Christmas tree.

When my sons come over for dinner on Sunday, I always ~~bore them with~~ treat them to a little "show and tell" session of the stitching I've worked on since the previous Sunday. That's the price they have to pay for getting a lovely home-cooked meal! As I showed my middle son this snowman, I said, "I bet you'll really like this one." He replied that he liked the other ornament (shown below) better. The reason why? He said, with a completely straight face, that he didn't approve of the "drug use" in this one! Oh, he loves to tease me and he does it so well. Yes, the snowman is indeed smoking a corncob pipe, but, hopefully, he's "not inhaling"!

My September ornament is stitched with white DMC on 25 ct. Victorian green lugana. To make it ornament sized, I stitched it over one, so the tree is barely 3 inches high. This design is by JBW Designs and is from the Christmas Motif Sampler II leaflet. I think this may just be the first time I stitched a JBW design, but it won't be the last! It was very relaxing stitching with just one color and not boring at all due to the little motifs scattered throughout the tree.

I did change the part under the tree a bit by moving the bunny over toward the tree trunk and adding another bunny facing him. (You know me and my love of bunnies--and of symmetry!). To finish it off, I backed it with the fabric shown and then used a ruched satin ribbon and some pearl-topped pins and a tiny ribbon on the edges and the hanger. (This is the video that I used to learn how to do the ruching). Not hard at all--just a bit time consuming... I think it adds such a nice, elegant touch to the edges of ornaments.

Remember this little Prairie Schooler bunny that I showed you a few weeks ago? Remember I said he was headed far, far away to a new home? Well, he safely reached his destination all the way up in Nova Scotia, Canada--and I'm happy to report that Cathey (aka Pumpkin) welcomed him with open arms. I love surprising my friends and regular commenters with RAKs so look for more of them in the future. This is just my way of saying thank you to those of you who make the extra effort to say "hello" whenever you read my blog...

Now, I have a question for all of you who stitch a lot of small ornaments and pin pillows, like I do...How do you store them? I've been placing mine in this acid-free box and storing it under a bed, but I'm running out of room. The ornaments are starting to pile up on top of each other--some of the flat ones are stacked four or five high! I can't crowd them much more or the ribbons and bows will get all wrinkled and misshapen. Do any of you have any other suggestions on storing them. I have limited under-the-bed space so I don't want to get another box. Any ideas at all? I love opening the box up every now and then and seeing all my little pieces staring back at me--they just make me happy for some strange reason!

True confessions...

So, do any of you have an addiction (besides stitching and blogging, that is!). Well, my name is Carol, and I am a "sugar addict"! Oh, you'd never know it by looking at me--I'm very petite and slim. I exercise regularly and, in general, try to eat well (except for yukky green vegetables as all of my long-time blog readers know!). But, I do love sugar and I've come to realize I consume way too much of it. So, I've been making a serious attempt to cut down on the amount I eat.

My sugar of choice? Why, it's these little innocent looking chocolate-covered raisins that come in this giant 3 pound container at Sam's Club. In studying the nutritional information label, it says there are 37 servings (each with 25 grams of sugar!) in one container. So, if I had one serving a day, that should last me 5+ weeks, right? Wrong!! I could gobble up an entire jar in less than two weeks. You see, I just got into the habit of thoughtlessly reaching into the container and grabbing a handful each and every time I walked by it. I ate the last of them last week and decided it was finally time for a change. I need to replace them with healthier foods so I've been eating popcorn, nuts, and sunflower seeds instead. Do I miss them--yes, indeed! Am I trying to cut out all sugar--no way!! (I thoroughly enjoyed the small piece of chocolate cake I had at work the other day). I'm just cutting down on the amount of sugar... I think "everything in moderation" is my new philosophy. How does that sound? Hopefully, by posting this here, I'll really try to stick to it... And if any of you want to confess to being a sugar addict and join me in my quest--you're more than welcome!

Remembering...

This past Sunday, which marked 10 years since the horrors of September 11th, brought back memories of so many tragic images to us all. It seemed that I actually cried more this year when I saw the news coverage than I did back in 2001. I think that may be because I now know the whole story, from beginning to end, and know how terribly it all turned out. I live only two hours from the field in Shanksville, PA where the passengers of Flight 93 so bravely tried to overcome the hijackers and ended up perishing. So, of course, that particular memorial service received a lot of press in this area... Out of all the photos and images I've witnessed lately, this one video really brings me hope--hope for the future through the innocence of our children. I can't get this video out of my head--you've probably seen it already, but I wanted to post it yet again here on my blog to remember the past and hope for the future...

Thanks for your wonderful comments on my little crow collection in my last post. I haven't been able to start stitching Ira Ray and Ida Mae crow yet because my fabric hasn't arrived, but hopefully they'll be joining my crow family very soon. If you look over in my sidebar, you'll notice a milestone: 500+ followers!! I can't thank you guys enough--I'm so honored that you take your precious time to visit me each time I post. And to thank you, I'll be having a giveaway when I have enough time to get something together--look for it very soon! Until then...enjoy your weekend and thank you as always for your wonderful comments and your special friendships. Bye for now...

Something To Crow About!

2011-08-30T07:01:00.007-04:00

What a crazy week in the eastern United States--an earthquake and a hurricane in the same week?! How did all of my blogging friends fare? I feel almost guilty in reporting that we've enjoyed nothing but a string of sunny days here in western Pennsylvania while those of you along the east coast struggled with the rain and winds, floods and power outages... Many of us felt the earthquake locally (not me, however my son's office building here was evacuated!), but thank goodness there appears to be little serious damage. I wish the same could be said for Hurricane Irene. I just heard on television that the estimate of damage is between seven and ten BILLION dollars--just devastating. Anyway, I want my east coast blogging friends to know I'm thinking of you and hoping things return to normal for all of you very soon.

Well, on to more enjoyable topics--like stitching! Have you ever stumbled upon a "new to you" designer and wondered how you missed her work? That happened to me recently with "Chessie and Me" designs. How did I ever miss Bunny Sampler, Love Liberty, and Pumpkin Hill? Aren't they charming? I think a few of them will be popping into my next online shopping cart! This sweet freebie, Chessie and Me's "Bird & Flower," can be found right here. Just click on "Newsletter" in the left column, and you will find it on page three of the May 2009 issue.

This one is stitched on 32 ct. flax Belfast linen using WDW and Sampler Threads (if you're interested in the colors I used, just email me!). I found an old purple button in my button jar and topped it off with a small sage green one to accent the empty space. You could certainly fill that space with the date or your initials if you wanted to. Finally, I backed it in the fabric shown and attached a straw colored handmade cording.

I loved this "With Thy Needle and Thread" freebie when I first caught a glimpse of it two years ago and I'm so glad I finally found the time to sit down and stitch it. Brenda's free chart can be found right here. I so appreciate designers' time and effort in creating these beautiful free designs for us! This crow perched on a pumpkin uses DMC, WDW, and Crescent Colours and is stitched on 32 ct. cafe latte linen.

I originally planned on framing it, but I decided to just make a simple pinkeep out of it and top it off with a black bow and gold colored pin. The sides look a bit wonky in my photo, but they are actually pretty straight--not perfect, but "good enough" (which, by the way, is my new motto--"good enough!"--life is really too short to worry about being perfect all the time, don't you think?). Again, if anyone wants to know my color choices, please email me and I'll be happy to share them with you.

Primitive Betty offered this cute crows and sunflowers freebie back in July and I thought it would be a perfect addition to my little collection. Click here for the chart. She has so many cute freebies on her site which I'm sure most of you have seen, but for those of you who haven't, head on over and check them out.

This one is stitched "over one" on 28 ct. clay Lugana using DMC threads. I finished it into a tiny pillow with some coordinating fall leaf fabric, a black satin ribbon, and orange ric-rac. It will be a nice addition to my fall decorating, don't you think? (You can click on the photo to get a bigger view.) So are you sensing a theme here? I'm calling all of these birds "crows," but they very well could be ravens or blackbirds. Did you know that a group of crows is called a "murder" and that they are among the smartest creatures in the world? Just a bit of librarian trivia for you!

And of course, I couldn't finish off my crow stitching without including a Prairie Schooler, could I? This is from PS Book No. 132: Autumn Leaves. I stitched it on 32 ct. grey linen using DMC threads. I wasn't really sold on the darker fabric color at first, but kept stitching away and I'm quite pleased with the end result.

For this finish, I attached it to a fabric covered piece of mounting board (I applied thin batting on the top of each piece underneath the fabric) and then applied a trail of the teeniest pom-pom beading around the perimeter and attached it with just a bit of fabric glue. I'm planning on covering the back with a piece of black felt--just didn't have any on hand...

So, what did I do with all my crows? Why, I created a little fall display in my kitchen. My two older sons were over for dinner on Sunday night and just looked at me with raised eyebrows as if to say: "Crows?? Mom--really!! That's pretty weird." I'll tell you, these guys of mine just don't get me at all! But, I love them anyway, and I love my stitched crows as well. I even found a cute crow mat and metal black statue to display with them along with an older crow on a picket fence piece that I stitched back in 2009. What do you think? Cute or weird? I think they'll make a fun and whimsical September display before I put out my Halloween pieces...

And, oh, yes--I plan on adding to my crow table! Just look at what I'm stitching next! That's right--Ida Mae Crow along with her sweet husband Ira Ray. Don't you love them? I showed them to the guys and of course, they just groaned: "Those are really weird, mom!" Sigh... Do you see why I count on you, my blogging friends, for your supportive comments?

SEVILLE ~ the capital of Andalusia...
Our final stop on our European adventure was really the city that began our whole trip. You see, my youngest son studied abroad in Seville in the summer of 2009. When he returned to the U.S. with such enthusiasm for his experiences, he encouraged the whole family to travel there some day. And so the seeds for this trip were planted...

The beautiful Plaza de España was built in 1928

for the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929.
Portions of Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
were filmed here in 2000.

The lovely blue and white ceramic railings at Plaza de España.

More detailed look at those stunning railings.

Even the bannisters were blue and white!

One of the "Alcoves of the Provinces" at Plaza de España.

Waiting for a passenger, horse-drawn carriages were a common sight.

As a librarian, I was captivated by this darling statue of
Clara Campoamor (1888-1972), a Spanish politician and feminist.
Notice the tiny mouse sitting there reading a book of his own!

The wrought-iron work was so beautiful.

Orange trees were everywhere!

A co-worker who travels a lot advised me to go "off the beaten path" a bit to get the true flavor of a city. She was right! Without wandering down some side streets, we would never have come upon this parish festival complete with a religious parade...

We followed the colorful paper flowers and came upon...

Seville children all dressed up for a religious festival and parade.

This young man is taking his job very seriously...

How sweet!

My very favorite photo of our entire trip!

View outside our hotel...such pretty colors!

Seville Cathedral, built in the 15th and
early 16th centuries, is the largest in Europe.

Inside the Seville Cathedral.

La Giralda, a former minaret that was converted
to a bell tower for the Cathedral of Seville.

Bells and views of Seville from La Giralda.

The Real Alcázar was built in the 14th century.

Patio de las Doncellas (Patio of the Maidens)

Such beautiful mosaics and intricate carvings...

Gardens of the Alcázar of Seville.

This mama duck and her brood were right
at home in the middle of the garden!

Peacocks, flowers, water scenes of the gardens of Real Alcázar.

My youngest son was so right--Seville was indeed a gorgeous spot to visit. We hope to visit more of Spain's lovely cities some day. That concludes my European trip photos--thanks for coming along with me as I relived those special memories!

I want to thank Marly from Samplers and Santas who was having a stash clean-out and offered up some of her goodies in exchange for postage. I was lucky enough to win this beautiful lot of lugana--perfect for my "over one" stitching. She also included these pretty beads as well! Thank you so much, Marly; your fabric has found a good home. In fact, I already have put it to good use--it is your lugana in the little over one crows piece shown above.

Thank you for all your sweet comments on my last post--I guess everyone loves a good fireman story! As I told many of you, that will definitely go down into our family history and be told and re-told again and again. I also want to welcome my new followers...I've tried to visit your blogs and say hello, too. I am in awe that my follower numbers are approaching 500--sounds like a giveaway should be coming soon, doesn't it? Let's all hope this week brings no more natural disasters for any of us...Have a safe and relaxing Labor Day weekend, and thank you again for your friendship, comments, and emails--I can't even begin to tell you how much they mean to me. Bye for now...

Finishes, Flowers, and Firemen

2011-08-16T06:45:00.003-04:00

Good morning everyone; it's good to be "back!" Thank you to everyone who emailed me wondering if I was all right...I'm fine; it has just been one crazy-busy three week period since my last post. I've spent a good deal of time up in New York visiting and helping out my parents after my dad's surgery. He came through it nicely, I'm happy to report. Thank you to all who asked about him...

The second thing that has taken up much of my time is trying to get my youngest son's room packed up. You see, he was offered a job in Washington, D.C. which began on August 1st. We're so proud of him--guess all that hard work in college really paid off! Anyway, he is down there and his furniture, books, etc. are up here in Pennsylvania. So guess who gets to sort it all out and prepare it for the movers?? Yep--good old mom! Oh, my--what a lot of "stuff" has accumulated during the 23 years he lived in that small bedroom. I'm about half-way done now and am to the point where I need to get him on the phone and ask him, "Do you want this, do you want that?" It's a good feeling, though, and I'm gaining another closet to put my stuff in! What do you think...should I turn his old bedroom into my craft room?

Finally, I've been working extra hours at the library--taking training classes in all the new electronic reference databases that keep popping up every other week. Honestly, I'm too old for this--my rapidly-aging brain just can't process all these changes very quickly any more. We just learn how to do something one way, and the next week the process has changed. With the explosion of e-readers we are constantly being asked to help patrons through the download process. How many of you have an e-reader? I love, love, love my Kindle! The new gadgets are great, but sometimes I long for the ease of simpler days when there were no cell phones, e-readers, I-pods, etc. I guess I'm just a bit nostalgic for those days when people seemed to spend more time with each other rather than with something electronic...

Through all this craziness, I have managed to squeak in a bit of stitching time and have a couple of new things to show you. First up is the LHN "Silent Night" ornament which I stitched on 32 ct. twilight blue Permin linen. I used all of the suggested colors except I substituted DMC 712 and used it for the snow, stars, and lettering. I also stitched an extra large star in the upper right corner. Was I being creative? No--I counted my star placements incorrectly and was left with a large spot of blue sky so I simply filled it in with a big star...

I finished it with a simple beaded edge using ivory colored Mill Hill beads. Boy, are those beaded edges time consuming--at least for me! But, I love the finished look and think it will be a great addition to my tree this December. This was my ornament for July--I finished the stitching last month, but just now got around to the finishing. Still have to finish my August ornament, but I'm almost there.

If this bunny finish looks familiar, it's because I stitched him once before earlier this year. You can see him right here. The difference is...this one is half the size! Yes, it's stitched "over one" on 28 ct. clay lugana and is from Prairie Schooler's Book No. 13 "A Prairie Year." I used the suggested DMC threads and decided to finish it into a tiny pillow.

This brown-dotted pale pink fabric seemed to be a perfect complement to the colors in the design and I topped it off with a little flower made of a pair of pink and white buttons (my middle son claims it resembles a pig nose--honestly, these guys of mine!!) and some leaves made of sage green ribbon. To make the tiny leaves, I used 1/2 inch ribbon and followed this video tutorial. For my first attempt, I'm really pleased with how they turned out. Unfortunately, I'm saying farewell to this bunny...he is heading to a new home as a "Random Act of Kindness" for one of my regular commenters. Where will he end up...stay tuned!

I think I forgot to tell you where my last RAK for my regular commenters ended up? This tulip pillow was sent to Catherine at Bramblewood Stitches back in May. It ended up just across the state in eastern Pennsylvania, but my latest bunny pillow is taking a longer trip (hint! hint!). I really enjoy surprising you wonderful friends who take the time to say "hello" each time I post, so look for more RAK creations in the future.

Isn't this the most delightful bouquet? My dear husband surprised me with it after I arrived home from visiting my parents. We had been apart almost two weeks--the longest in our 34 years of marriage. I guess he missed me! I told him this was the prettiest bouquet ever--so "me" with the all-white arrangement of hydrangeas, snapdragons, statice, and some other white flower that looks like a cross between a rose and a carnation. Anyone have any idea what the name of those blooms are? I truly love it's old-fashioned charm--it brings to mind a time when life was simpler and less complicated, doesn't it?

Now, I'm sure you're all wondering about the "Firemen" in my post title... Well, let's just say I had a "memorable" experience the last time I visited my parents. I was making breakfast one morning and the thin-sliced bread that I was toasting accidentally burned. Immediately, I ran it under water and put it into the garbage disposal hoping to get that unpleasant odor out of the kitchen. Apparently, I wasn't quick enough. Within minutes, not one, not two, but three smoke alarms in their apartment were blaring away. You all know how piercingly-loud one alarm sounds, right? Well, imagine three screeching away at the same time. I jumped up on a chair to try to find a reset button like we have on our alarms at home--no luck. They just kept wailing on and on.

We let in the harried building managers who were pounding at the door for a crack at silencing the alarms--no luck! They said they would have to call the local fire department to turn them off because their maintenance man was off that day. Oh, no!! My face was as red as the soon to arrive firetrucks--I was so embarrassed! Within 15 minutes, two firetrucks and a half-dozen firemen showed up. Yes, all for two burned pieces of toast... The two firemen who actually came up to the apartment tried to silence the alarms, but you guessed it--no luck! They said because they were hard-wired into the ceiling, they weren't "allowed" to fiddle with them. WHAT?? By this time, the three alarms had been deafening us for close to an hour. There was no solution but to call the maintenance man at home and have him come disconnect the horrid things. Finally, after almost 1 1/2 hours of listening to the shrill sound, the maintenance man arrived, pulled the wires from the ceiling, and silence reigned. You know that old saying, "Silence is golden?" Well, I appreciate it more than ever after that crazy morning! Moral of this story--always, always check the setting on your toaster before you put the bread in...

So, that's the end of another way-too-long post! Thanks so much to all of you who have read this far... I didn't even have time to write about Seville, the last stop on our Europe trip, so I'll save that for next time. Your wonderful comments on my last post made me smile--thank you all for taking the time to visit my little corner of the world. Please come again and I hope you have a week filled with whatever makes you happiest. Bye for now...

"R" Is For Rabbit (and RAKs)

2011-07-26T06:32:00.004-04:00

Hello my friends! Hope all of my fellow U.S. stitchers are hanging in there with this heat...What did we ever do before air conditioning? We rarely use ours here in Pennsylvania, but over the past ten days it has been running almost continuously. At least the heat gives me a good excuse to stay inside and stitch. Do you remember this little start I showed you back in May and asked if anyone knew what it was? A few of you guessed it was a Prairie Schooler (always a safe bet when it comes to me!) and you were right.

And here is my finish of "R" Is For Rabbit from the P*Q*R Prairie Schooler Book No. 111, stitched on 32 ct. flax Belfast linen. Now that is one big, brown, bunny, isn't it? And that was a ton of solid stitching; brown is one color I dread stitching with, but I'm so pleased with how he turned out. He is a darker brown than what was charted because I accidentally reversed the symbols of the two shades of golden brown. By the time I discovered my mistake, I had already stitched his entire head and was too lazy to "behead" him and begin again. I actually like him this darker shade and think my mistake ended up being a blessing in disguise.

July is just one celebration after another around our house. My youngest son turned 23 (say it's not true!!) on the 9th and my husband caught up with me and turned 56 on the 14th. Yes, I am a "cougar"--I married a younger man (even if he is only six months younger!) and he never lets me forget it! And finally, on the 23rd, we celebrated 34 years of marriage. We were such babies when we tied the knot--fresh out of college with no money in the bank, but with many hopes and dreams... I am so blessed to say most, if not all, of those dreams have come true thanks to a lot of hard work, compromise, love, and respect.

To celebrate our two July birthdays I wanted to bake something special, but didn't want a lot of leftover cake tempting me for the next week. Luckily, I stumbled across a wonderful cookbook called Small Batch Baking by Debby Maugans Nakos which has recipes to serve just two or three people with little mini-cakes. I tried her carrot-cake recipe with cream cheese frosting and just look at how charming it turned out--it is a mere 3 inches round by 3 inches high! You bake these in well-washed empty cans (I used large soup cans--careful with those sharp edges) and it made two baby cakes--one for my husband and one for my youngest son (of course, I had a few bites (okay, more than a few bites) of each). I was really leery about how a cake baked in a can would turn out, but not only was it cute as a bug, it also tasted delicious.

Now, on to the next-to-the-last stop of our family's European vacation--the lovely town of Ronda in Spain's Malaga province. This town of about 35,000 inhabitants is divided by the Guadalevin River to form the stunning El Tajo gorge. Notice the gray skies--this was the only bad weather in our entire trip. We were so lucky, weren't we? We paid Ronda just a quick visit on our drive from Granada to Seville. You can click and enlarge any of the photos to see just how incredible the area was...

Puento Nuevo ("New Bridge") spanning El Tajo
gorge was built in the 1700s.

Can you imagine the view they have from their windows?

Some of the gorgeous farmland in the Ronda countryside.

What an incredible sight--but you could not pay me
to walk down that white stairway to the cliffside patio!

A matador statue in Ronda, home of Plaza de Toros
one of Spain's oldest bullfighting rings still in operation.

The 18th century Palacio del Marques de Salvatierra
is noted for it's unusual carved entranceway.

A gorgeous mosaic "map" of the town of Ronda.

Images of Ronda, Spain: May 2011

Well, that wraps up our visit to Ronda--the next, and final, stop will be the lovely Spanish city of Seville.

Now on to the other "R" in my post title: Random Acts of Kindness. I was so surprised and touched to receive these RAKs from fellow stitchers. Kathy from "Kathy's Sit and Stitch" blog surprised me with a darling sewing pouch--just look at that fabric adorned with everything a stitcher could need. Isn't it cute? And, I opened the pouch to find a beautiful hand-made scissor fob and the cheeriest pair of polka-dot scissors. Kathy, I am so happy to have "met" you and my other Canadian stitching friends. Someday, I really might make it up to one of your get-togethers so I can thank you in person...

I also received an email from Carol R. who designs at "iStitch" informing me that I had been sent this delightful strawberry chart as a RAK from Michele at "Just Another Stitching Blog." Isn't it sweet--I mean who doesn't love strawberries? I was so touched that Michele, who lives way across the U.S., would send me, a complete stranger, such a special gift. Well, we are strangers no longer--I'm happy to call her a "friend." Thank you, Michele--your gift truly touched my heart.

And last, but certainly not least, just look at this sweet snowman ornament I received in yesterday's mail from Patty at "Hanging On By a Thread" ! I had let Patty borrow one of my charts and she kindly sent this beautifully stitched and finished ornament as a "thank you." I just love it, Patty, and I'm so glad I was able to help you out by lending you my chart. Your ornament will have a place of honor on my Christmas tree this year--thank you so, so much!

I've said it many, many times, but I still feel compelled to say it again--stitchers really are the nicest people! Thank you all for visiting, for your wonderful comments, and for being such great friends--you're the best! Hope your week is a special one. Bye for now...

Delivering Liberty

2011-07-11T06:41:00.002-04:00

Good morning, everyone! Hope your week is off to a great start... Recently, I was lucky enough to win the chart "Delivering Liberty" in a giveaway from Sandra at Homespun Elegance and, guess what? I loved it so much, I already finished it. Don't you love this funky sheep. He reminds me a bit of those judges who wear those long wigs--does anyone else see the resemblance?

This is stitched on 32 ct. putty Belfast linen using DMC, WDW, Nina's, and Sampler Threads (although I substituted several of the suggested over-dyeds for similar shades I already had in my collection.) To complete the piece, I added some black French-knot "seeds" to the watermelon and sewed on two coconut button "wheels." I didn't have the little flag charm that was featured on the chart, so I simply added another gold star in its place. I wonder if there will be any watermelon left by the time Mr. Sheep arrives at his destination with that black crow hitching a ride? So, here is my framed piece (which fit perfectly into a ready-made 5" X 7" frame!), all ready for the next 4th of July!

I told you I was a fan of the Homespun Elegance "Delivering" series. Just look at all these other cute designs that I've collected through the years. So far I've only stitched "Delivering Posies," but I know all of them will eventually wind up in my finishes pile. Thank you, Sandra, for sharing your talent with us and for sending me such a great addition to my Homespun Elegance chart collection.

Now for my next travel report on the fourth stop on our European adventure: the magical Alhambra in Granada, Spain.

The Alhambra

Our trip from the airport to our hotel in Granada's medieval El Albaicin district was one that I'll never forget. Because we are a family of five, we had to split into two groups and take two taxis. Thank goodness my two younger sons both speak Spanish because the taxi drivers certainly didn't speak English! I felt like I was in some sort of wild action/adventure movie as the taxis sped through the steep, narrow, curving, and very dimly lit streets of the old Moorish quarter to our hotel. Honestly, those streets could barely hold one car, they were so narrow. When a car came through, any pedestrians had to flatten their bodies against the buildings to avoid being hit! Add in the fact that we arrived at nearly midnight and you can see why it was such an unforgettable ride...

One of the very narrow, steep streets
in the Moorish section of Granada.

Although Granada has many other sights and things of historical interest, we only had one day there so we, of course, spent it touring The Alhambra. When we arrived, we were first treated to a tour of The Generalife which was used as a summer palace and a place of rest for Muslim royalty back in the 14th century.

We saw beautiful gardens...

ancient buildings with lovely fountains...

breathtaking views of the countryside near Granada...

and even lovelier panoramas.

The interior views were just as spectacular.

The next stop was the Palace of Charles V who ruled the Holy Roman Empire from 1516 to 1556.

The Palace of Charles V.

The highlight of The Alhambra visit was The Palacios Nazaries. Although, the colors have faded through the years, you can still see the amazing architecture of 14th century Moorish rulers. It was the most stunning and unusual collection of buildings I've ever seen...

The throne room the Sala de Embajadores, Hall of the Ambassadors.

Hall of the Abencerrajes at the Palacios Nazaries

The stunning Granada countryside
as seen through the palace windows.

The ceilings at The Alhambra have held up the best through the centuries.

Some of the intricate scroll-work, honeycomb-like
architecture, and mosaic work at the Palacios Nazaries.

Our final stop at The Alhambra was The Alcazaba--the fortress that protected the entire complex.

A Moorish arch led to The Alcazaba.
The Alcazaba is the oldest portion of The Alhambra
complex which fell to Spanish rule in 1492
ending seven centuries of Muslim rule.

Some of the ruins of The Alcazaba.

The view from the top of the Torre de la Vella at The Alcazaba.
The Sierra Nevada mountains loom in the distance.

If you ask any of us what our favorite moment on our trip was, I think we would each respond that it was the evening meal we shared at Restaurante Ruta Del Azafran. As we gazed up at The Alhambra and watched the skies change from bright blue to an almost haunted-looking shade of midnight we truly felt the magic of The Alhambra that others have described. The meal was one of the finest on our trip and I doubt that we'll ever have such a memorable vista by which to dine...

The view of the Alhambra when we sat down to eat about 8 PM.

The sun begins to fade.

Dusk descends and the lights flicker on.

I think we could have happily stayed here all night

just gazing up at this hauntingly beautiful sight.

Just a few of the steep, winding steps we climbed
after dinner for even better views of The Alhambra.

So that ends the tour for today. Hope you enjoyed your armchair traveler's view of Granada and The Alhambra. Next stop will be Ronda, one of the most famous "white towns" in Spain.

I was so touched to receive this beautiful handmade card, bird chart, and ribbons and floss (in my favorite blues!) from an email friend in England. June wanted to thank me for encouraging her to start her own blog. I'm delighted to introduce her new blog, Butterfly Wings to you. Please drop in and say "hello"--she is doing a wonderful job on her new venture and her stitching, gardens, and stitching room are just beautiful. And, guess what? June is offering her very first giveaway! Thank you for your kindness, June--I just adore this little hummingbird card and your other goodies sure put a smile on my face :)

Most of you know that I love to bake and make sweet concoctions, but now that we're empty nesters I've cut way back on that particular hobby. I really miss it and so was thrilled to make a new and fattening treat for the 4th of July weekend when we had some extra mouths to feed. All I can say about this Peanut Butter Pie is wow!! Decadent, delicious, delectable, delightful, divine!! Let's put it this way--a small piece goes a very long way... I sent my youngest son this photo in a blatant attempt to lure him home. Looks like it worked--he'll be coming for a quick visit this weekend...

And finally, the winner of my giveaway for the "Watermelon Garden chart is:

Theresa at Giraffe Crossing blog

Congratulations, Theresa--I hope you'll enjoy stitching this as much as I did and that you'll pass it on once you are finished. Thanks to all who entered...it was nice to see some new commenters among my very loyal regulars! I hope you'll continue to visit.

Thanks for dropping by today...hope you aren't too bored with my travel photos. Don't worry, I'm not turning this into a travel blog; it's just that I want to have a way to share my photos with my non-stitching family and friends. Your wonderful comments are much appreciated--thank you all! Bye for now...

A bit of the red, white, and blue...

2011-07-01T09:48:00.012-04:00

Hello everyone! I've been inspired by all of your patriotic stitching to do a bit of my own this week. First up is "Let Freedom Ring" by Little House Needleworks. I stitched this piece "over one" on 28 ct. Tea Dyed Monaco using the suggested DMC and Crescent colors. I did change the wording to my favorite blue rather than the gold that was charted.

I spent some time on Thursday finishing it off into a little pillow. I'm always a bit surprised at how long it takes to finish something like this--small as it is, it takes me much longer than it should. But, this turned out to be one of my favorite finishes yet. I backed it in the blue and gold fabric shown and added some golden brown cording that my dear husband and I made using my Kreinik Custom Corder.

Heart In Hand's "Olde Glory" was a really quick stitch although this fabric (18 ct. raw cork linen) seemed to be a bit difficult to work on. I do love the way it looks, though with DMC 3865, Sampler Threads Lancaster Red, and Nina's Hand-Dyed Thread in "Old Jeans" (can't say enough how much I love her threads!!).

I added a little golden star for interest and turned it into a small pillow using two different fabrics and a bit of rope-like braided trim. I'm very proud of how it turned out! So, now I have my own little patriotic display in my home that I hope to add a couple of new things to each year. I've included a photo of it at the very bottom of this post. Besides my new additions, the display includes LHN's "America" and the tiniest little Homespun Elegance pin pillow finish that I made last year. You can read about it right here.

I spent last week visiting my parents in NY while my husband was a on a grueling Colorado bike trip. (Are any of your husbands bike riders? I wonder why he puts himself through some of these trips, but it's nice that he has his passion like I have mine for stitching!) Anyway, when I arrived home on Sunday, just look at what was waiting to greet me. And just look at what she'd been feasting on the whole time I was away!! Yes, those "things" sticking up in the left foreground of the photo were my gorgeous green and white hostas with purple flowers before the deer got to them. Oh I was so mad!! She just stood there and looked at me like I was intruding on "her" territory!

But, I couldn't stay mad at her for long when I found out why she was so hungry. The next morning I heard a bleating sound coming from the woods by our pond so I took my camera back to investigate. A little fawn caught a glimpse of me and bounded off deeper into the woods, white tail flying high. Figuring there was no photo opportunity, I just turned around and headed back to the house. When I was almost to the patio, I sensed something behind me, turned, and lo and behold, there was the dearest spotted fawn not more than 20 feet from me. She just stood there looking at me as if she wanted to play.

Now, how could I be mad at her mom for eating my flowers so she could be strong enough to care for her baby? Well, make that babies plural!! Yes, little twin fawns have been having the time of their lives chasing each other through the yard and munching on all of our greenery. But, who can stay upset with those sweet faces? Luckily, our vegetable garden is fenced in so they can't make the tomatoes, peas, beans, lettuce, or zucchini a part of their diets!

No Europe trip photos to show you this time. It takes so long to organize and put a post like that together and time was something I really didn't have much of this week. I haven't picked the winner of the "Watermelon Garden" chart yet either, so if you'd still like to enter the giveaway, please leave a comment on my last post only.

Thank you all for your much-appreciated comments and a warm welcome to my new followers. Wishing all of you in the U.S. a safe and fun Fourth of July weekend...And Happy Canada Day to my wonderful blogging friends up north! I have to work on Saturday, but I'm looking forward to grilling and relaxing on Sunday and Monday--how about you? Bye for now...

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!

Wish I Had a Watermelon!

2011-06-27T06:53:00.008-04:00

"Wish I had a watermelon! Wish I had a watermelon!" Do those words ring a bell with any of you? Here's why they have special meaning to me...When my sons were little my husband used to cut their hair for them. Multiply three boys times 8 to 10 haircuts per year times who-knows-how-many years and his hair-cutting skills sure saved us a lot of money! He would plop them on top of the bathroom vanity, drape a sheet around their necks, and whip out the scissors and hair-clippers. In the summers they would almost always get a buzz cut--short and cool. When my husband was finished he would then rub his hand around and around their soft, sweet, peach-fuzz like heads and recite those words, "Wish I had a watermelon. Wish I had a watermelon." The boys laughed and giggled each and every time. I never knew where my husband got that line until I Googled it and found out it was from an old episode Our Gang (The Little Rascals)."

So, in honor of our 34th wedding anniversary which is coming up in July, I dedicate my "Watermelon Garden" finish (by Ewe & Eye & Friends) to my dear husband. I changed the sign outside of the watermelon colored house so it has a watermelon on it and added the words: "EST. 1977"--the year we were married. I also added a little crow under the tree and moved the date and my initials to the lower left garden. Should I add another crow or leave it as is? I've been back and forth trying to decide...

I really enjoyed doing this SAL with my blogging friend from South Carolina Nancy. It has been fun to see how each of us "made it our own" by changing bits here and there and substituting different colors. I hope we'll have the chance to do another stitch along some day, Nancy! Mine is stitched on 40 ct. Vintage Light Examplar by Lakeside linens and uses both DMC and Sampler threads. It ended up being just under 5 inches square so I'm hoping to find a ready-made frame for it.

I want to thank Chris at Tot Hill Farm Stitches who passed the "Watermelon Garden" chart along to me in a giveaway. I would like to continue the kindness and pass it along myself so if you'd like to have a chance to win it, please let me know in your comments...

Now for a recap of the third stop in our 12 day European adventure: the Spanish city of Barcelona, the second most populous city in Spain. We had a wonderful (and very cute!) guide named Carlos who led us through the city's most well-known sights. Because of his knowledge and enthusiastic love of his city, I feel like we learned more about Barcelona than any of the other cities we visited.

You can't go anywhere in Barcelona without hearing the name Antoni Gaudí. Gaudí was the Modernista architect responsible for much of Barcelona's most unusual architecture. His works reflect his love of nature and religion.

Gaudí's most famous work is La Sagrada Familia church.
Construction began on it over 100 years ago in 1882 and
isn't expected to be completed for another 15-20 years!

From a distance, the church almost looked like it was made of sand.
But, look closely--hundreds of carved images cover the exterior.

You'll see the depiction of Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus.

And here are the carvings of the three wisemen and some angels.

A small portion of the breathtaking interior above the main altar.

I've never seen a church like this, have you?

Gaudí's Park Guell features this magnificent mosaic serpentine bench.

More images of the whimsical Park Guell.

Gaudí's La Pedrera (Casa Mila) was finished
in 1912 for a wealthy couple.

The crazy roof-top terrace of La Pedrera!

More La Pedrera (Casa Mila) images.

I loved all the beautiful flower-laden wrought iron balconies.

Our guide took us through one of the local markets: La Boqueria.

We saw mounds of colorful fruits and vegetables...

...and marveled at the rows of hanging ham legs.
Shaved Jamón ibérico (Iberian ham) made such a tasty appetizer.

Aren't these dried fruits and nuts delectable looking?

Of course, this booth of chocolatey delights was my favorite stop!

La Rambla is a bustling pedestrian street filled with
cafes, flower, souvenir, and bird stalls,
caricaturists, and wild looking spray-painted mimes.

Built between 1329 and 1383 Santa Maria del Mar is a
wonderful example of Catalan Gothic architecture.

The Columbus Monument is located at the spot in Barcelona
where Columbus returned after his first voyage to The Americas.

I hope you're enjoying my photos from our trip...next stop on our journey will be Granada, Spain, home of the spectacular Alhambra!

I was thrilled to hear from Sandra of Homespun Elegance that I had won one of her newest designs in her recent giveaway. Don't you just love that dear sheep pulling his basket of Americana? This is part of her "Delivering" series of which I'm a huge, huge fan...I already own several charts from the series and I'm thrilled to add "Delivering Liberty" to it! Thank you so much, Sandra--I can't wait to begin stitching your gift. And thank you for your lovely hand-painted notecard...It is too pretty to put in the mail--think I'll frame it for my family room. Oh, how I wish I could paint or draw. I suppose that is why I stitch--it makes me feel as if I'm just a teeny bit artistic!

Don't forget...if you'd like to have a chance to win the Ewe & Ewe & Friends "Watermelon Garden" chart giveaway, please let me know in your comments and make sure to leave your email address if it isn't connected with your profile. I'll announce the winner in my next blog entry...

Thank you for all of your wonderful comments on my last post... I truly appreciate the time you each take in dropping by to say "hi" every week. I know this is an especially busy season of the year for us all so the fact that you take a moment to leave a comment means even more to me. Have a great week everyone! Bye for now...

Blood, sweat, and tears

2011-06-13T06:38:00.006-04:00

Good morning everyone! Well, the title of this post isn't exactly what you'd think of when it comes to a blog about cross stitching, is it? I'll get to the meaning behind it after I share a bit of stitching and the photos from the second stop on our European trip with you.

My ornament for the month of June is this cute Prairie Schooler Santa from Book No. 48: "A Christmas Visit." I call this skinny bird-loving guy my "around the world Santa" because he was stitched mainly in airports all over the world from Philadelphia, to Munich, to Barcelona, to Madrid. I stitched a little bit in each airport and then finally finished him up here this week.

If you're familiar with the chart, you'll notice that I left the bottom part of it off that was supposed to have the year stitched in it. I'm not crazy about having dates on my ornaments because, to me, they always look "old" after that particular year has passed. So, I decided he looked just fine as is. He's stitched on 32 ct. sage jobelan with the recommended DMC threads.

When I was putting my June ornament away in my giant under-the-bed ornament box, I spotted the others from 2011 and thought you might like to see a photo of all six of the ornaments together. I love each and every one and can't wait to add them to my Christmas tree in six months. Do you have a favorite? All but two are stitched "over one"--would you say I'm an "over one" addict?

My stitch-along with Nancy (Watermelon Garden by Ewe & Eye & Friends) is progressing, too. There is a lot of solid stitching in this one and I think it may end up taking longer than I had planned. But, I'm truly enjoying stitching it. I changed the color of the house and watermelon from the cherry red that was suggested on the chart to a more berry, "watermelony" color--what do you think?

So, on to the next stop on our trip: Salzburg, Austria. Salzburg was a last minute day-trip that we took from Munich and I'm so glad we ended up adding it on. It was definitely one of my favorite spots--I only wish we had had more time to enjoy there than just one afternoon.

The first glimpse of Salzburg from the window of the bus.

The lovely Salzac River. "Salz" is the German word for salt.

Are you a lover of The Sound of Music like me? If so, this garden

should look very familiar to you. It's where Maria and the children
sang "Do-Re-Mi." This is the stunning Mirabell Palace and Gardens.

And these are the famous steps on which the "Sound of Music" cast

performed the Do-Re-Mi song! I tried to get the guys to do a "Sound of
Music" tour of Salzburg, but had no luck. Guess I'll have to go back
again someday with some girlfriends. Anyone up for it?

The wonderful Pegasus fountain where Maria and the von Trapp
children danced and sang (see the last photo in this link.
(I have a great photo of my whole family standing in front of
this fountain. If you'd like to see it, just let me
know in your comments and I'll email it you.)

One of the charming streets filled with bustling shops in old Salzburg.

Did you know that Mozart was born in Salzburg?
Yep--right in this bright yellow building in 1756.

Another "Sound of Music" sight--the Residenz Fountain where
Julie Andrews sang "I Have Confidence" on her way
to begin working for the von Trapp family:
"I have confidence in sunshine
I have confidence in rain
I have confidence that spring will come again
Besides which you see I have confidence in me!"

Chess anyone?

This sign indicates that this is the courtyard
where the cows were to be washed!

Construction on the imposing Hohensalzburg Castle,
which sits on top of the Festungsberg Mountain, began in 1077.

A close-up of view of a portion of Hohensalzburg Castle.
Yes, the sky really was that blue!

The incredible view of Salzburg from Hohensalzburg Castle.

Can you imagine living in this beautiful setting
with the Alps in your backyard? Sigh...

A shop selling traditional Austrian clothing: the dirndl and Lederhosen.

Probably the prettiest cemetery I've ever seen! Does anyone know
if all Austrian cemeteries are like this with the raised flower beds
at the foot of each gravestone? I could have wandered around there
all day reading the inscriptions and admiring the lovely blooms.

And that wraps up my Salzburg leg of the trip. On my next post we'll visit a city with a very different feel: Barcelona, Spain...

So, I suppose you're wondering about the "Blood, Sweat, and Tears" that I mentioned earlier? Well, that has pretty much described my life over the past four days. You see, my oldest son had oral surgery on his gums on Thursday and I have been helping care for him while he temporarily moved home during his recovery. I just have one word to describe the experience: "blood." Oh, my, let's just say I could never have had a career in medicine. Even though I come from a long line of doctors (father, grandfather, brother, uncle, and several cousins), I am completely thrown by blood. I get weak-kneed at the mere thought of it. And believe me, "thinking" of it is not all that has been happening. My poor son--I think he and I have seen more blood this week than in our entire lives so far. His mouth is healing, but a lot more slowly and painfully than we ever would have anticipated.

The "sweat" comes from being told by my youngest son on Wednesday afternoon that he was moving to Washington, D.C. on Saturday for a summer internship (paid, thankfully!) which he just found out he had received. Can you say stress? Getting someone ready for a major move in two days sure worked up a sweat--the shopping, the washing, the ironing, the packing. It actually took my middle son, who's an engineer, to figure out how to get all of the youngest son's "stuff" into the allotted two suitcases... (The secret is to roll your clothes, put them in plastic bags, and remove the air from them--amazing!) When we discovered the price of a one-way airline ticket was over $300.00 and he'd have to travel from Pittsburgh to Boston just to get to D.C., we found a great deal ($21.50!!) on Megabus. Has anyone out there used Megabus? Some of their fares are as low as $1.00 between major cities--incredible!

So, by now, I think the "tears" part of my blog post title is obvious. Yes, my youngest is leaving, flying the nest, maybe for good. You see, he hopes to find a permanent job in D.C. and being down there this summer for his internship will certainly enable him to be available for interviews much more easily than if he were here at home. We said our goodbyes privately at home before I took him to the bus stop. "Thanks for everything, mom. I love you," he said as he hugged his weeping mother. Although we are extreme opposites in our habits and I complain about his lack of order, late hours, and that sort of thing, he is such a positive, happy person who brings a lot of laughter into our home. I know I'll miss him dearly. In fact, I already do...

So, that winds up another (too long!) post. I hope you're enjoying my vacation photos and that you feel as if you took that fun trip right along with me. I always like to imagine what a pleasure it would be to take a trip around the world just visiting blogging friends!

Wishing you all a very special week and I truly thank you for your comments and emails. They never fail to bring a smile :) Bye for now...

Oh, the wonders I've seen!

2011-06-03T10:35:00.012-04:00

I'm back!! I sure missed all of you and your stitching and stories. I'm so happy to be home and promise to get caught up on all of your blogs very soon... So where have I been? Well, my husband and I took our three sons to Europe to celebrate the fact that they are all now college graduates, the thrill of having no more tuition payments, and our pride in their accomplishments. This was my first-ever trip abroad and oh, the places we visited and the sites we've seen. We visited Munich, Bavaria, Salzburg, Barcelona, Granada (ooh--that Alhambra!!), Ronda (Spain), and ended our trip in Seville. I can't tell you how many times my mouth just gaped open with awe or the word "Wow!" was whispered by one of us. I'll fill you in on some of my trip after my stitching update.

I finally caught up on my "ornament a month" quest with these two finishes. April's ornament is from Prairie Schooler's Holiday Homestead chart. I stitched it "over one" on 28 ct. black Monaco. I just love doing "over one" stitching on Monaco cloth--it looks so even and the thread rarely slips behind the fabric's threads like it often will using other fabrics. If you've been frustrated by "over one" stitching before--give Monaco evenweave a try. As you can see I finished it into a hanging pillow with a red flannel fabric, black ric-rac and red buttons. I think it's quite a cheery little finish with that tiny chickadee!

My May ornament finish is "Chalet" which is just a portion of the "Walking in a Winter Snapperland" series by Bent Creek. I am so glad I stitched this after seeing similar little houses on our trip through Bavaria. The buttons I used are a bit large, but I couldn't find any tinier buttons so I just went ahead with these. The fabric backing is the same blue plaid that I've tied around the wire hanger (just a spring that I stretched out). The blue tie reminds me of the scarf wrapped around the tiny snowman. I used 32 ct. Dirty Belfast linen and a combination of DMC, WDW, and Sampler Threads...

It's June, the month that my blogging friend Nancy at Lovely in Chocolate (that has to be my very favorite blog name!) are starting our long-distance stitch-along. In honor of summer and all it's bounty, we're stitching "Watermelon Garden" by Ewe & Eye & Friends. We've already noticed some discrepancies between the chart and the photo so we'll see how each one ends up. I've chosen 40ct. Vintage Light Examplar by Lakeside Linens--my first time stitching on 40ct. I figure if I can stitch over one on 28, I can handle 40 ct., right? So far I have only stitched some of the border, but I'm loving stitching this with you, Nancy. Just wish we were sitting together and chatting away while we stitched rather than separated by the miles between Pennsylvania and South Carolina!

So, back to our trip! Our first stop was Munich and the Bavarian countryside. Why did we choose this part of Germany? Because the guys wanted to visit castles and did we ever see some beauties. All pictures can be enlarged by clicking on them and I've included links for more information on many of them, too, with some wonderful interior photos. So, sit back and enjoy:

Disney World? No, this is the castle on which Disney modeled
his famous castle: Neuschwanstein Castle

The fairy tale view from inside Neuschwanstein Castle.

The stunning Linderhof Palace. What a breathtaking setting!

Nymphenburg Palace : The birthplace of Mad King Ludwig
who owned both Neuschwanstein and Linderhof.

We also enjoyed some of Munich's most famous buildings during a bus tour of Munich (well, that is in between nodding off due to the extreme jet leg we were all feeling on the first day!):

Theatinerkirche built from 1663 to 1690.

Bayerische Staatsoper (Bavarian State Opera) built in 1811

The Siegestor (Victory Gate).
The inscription "Dem Bayerischen Heere” means "For the Bavarian Army."

New Town Hall in Marienplatz ~ built between 1867 and 1908
and home of the famous Rathaus-Glockenspiel.
The Rathaus-Glockenspiel which has 32 life-size
figures which re-enact stories from the 16th century.

The raucous Hofbrauhaus founded in 1589.

The interior of Hofbrauhaus. What an amazing ceiling.
If those walls could talk, I'm sure there would be some wild stories!

Yep ~ those are my four guys (on the right) taking in the
sights of Munich. (Not sure who the two ladies are,
but I sure hope they don't mind appearing on my blog!)

Every street was lined with lovely sidewalk cafes and tons of bikes.
Munich has a wonderful biking community.

And here's the famous Michael Jackson memorial.
What??? Yep, rabid MJ fans have taken over the statue of
the poor Orlando di Lasso (aka Roland Delattre) in a park
across the street from a hotel in which Michael once stayed.
What a bizarre sight!

Well, I think that's enough of my trip photos for today... Next time, I'll treat you to my Salzburg pictures. It was definitely one of my favorite stops on our European adventure!

Now back to stitching-related news. I was so excited to find three wonderful gifts waiting for me when I returned from Europe. First up, is this darling rabbit sachet stitched with love by sweet Nia and sent all the way from Portugal. Notice how she created him in my favorite color: blue? She also included a cute bunny card and a lovely Portugal themed postcard. Hmmm...I think she's trying to tempt me to put Portugal on my next vacation stop! It just might happen now that I've been bitten by the travel bug. Thank you so very much, Nia--I'm keeping him right next to my bed so I can drift off to sleep smelling his lovely lavender scent.

And from one of my very first blogging friends, Cindy, I received this luscious array of fabrics and a cute fairy Prairie Schooler chart. Cindy, you certainly spoiled me with these--I love each and every one and you can count on seeing them in some future projects. Thank you for your very special gift and for being such a wonderful blogging friend!

A while back, Barbara of Mainely Stitching fame, asked me if I would participate in her daughter, Rowen's, Flat Stanley (or in this case "Flat Rowen") project. Little Rowen sent me her flat creation and I took it around the city of Pittsburgh (and all the way to Florida!) and photographed it with all the sights. After I was done, I made a little book of Flat Rowen's adventures, popped in some souvenirs of her visit, and shipped her back to Rowen for her school's fair. As a thank you, the generous Barbara sent me this dear pin pillow filled with dried Maine wildflowers. And little Rowen included the cutest thank you note. Don't you love them? I was honored that you asked me to participate in Rowen's project, Barbara, and I'm so glad Rowen enjoyed her book and box of souvenirs!

I also want to share with you this lovely bird plate which arrived from my special friend, Mary at Sweet Sentiments and Stitches before we left for Europe. I had lent her an out-of-print Prairie Schooler chart and she wanted to thank me with this gift. I wish you could see it in person because it is just so pretty. Mary, you know me well--birds and blue, two of my favorite things. Thank you so very much--it has a place of honor in my family room.

Finally, the winner of my drawing for Drawn Thread's Sunflower Bellpull chart is Kathy Ellen at A Stitcher's Heirlooms. Congratulations Kathy Ellen! Please send me your mailing address and I'll get the chart right off to you. Kathy Ellen has promised to pass it along to another stitcher when she has stitched it, so keep an eye on her blog :)

OK, if anyone out there is still with me at the end of this monstrously long post, I so appreciate it! With our trip and me being sick since my return on Sunday (I had a cold and the flights home really did a number on my ears--ugh!), I am way behind on my gardening, so I think that is going to occupy much of my weekend. How about you? Any special plans? I hope you know how much I value your friendship, comments, and inspiration--you sure are a special group. Bye for now...

Finally, some framing...

2011-05-16T10:35:00.002-04:00

Two posts in less than a week--I must be sick, right? And it seems to be another long one, so bear with me! Finally, I've managed to do a bit of framing. This poor Blackbird Designs piece called "Something Sweet" has been languishing in my finishes drawer for almost a year now! With my dear mother's 84th birthday fast-approaching, I just knew now was the time to frame it and send it off to her. I'm really thrilled with the frame I chose and she was equally thrilled with her gift when she opened it on her birthday on May 14th (If you would like to wish her a "Happy Birthday," she reads my blog and I know she would be tickled to get some birthday wishes!). I am so proud of my mom--she's been through a lot over the past year and I'm in awe of how well she has handled everything. I love you dearly mom!

I also framed another 2010 finish, Prairie Schoolers' Spring from Book No. 50: "Prairie Seasons". This one went into a frame that I'll use when I stitch the other three seasons, as well. (Well, I've done autumn already--just need to mount that and I'll be half-done). I just mount them and pop them in and out with the change of seasons. What do you think of the frame? I really like the darker rope-like detail on the inner edge. In the foreground of the photo are some yellow roses (my favorites!) that I dried from the bouquet my husband got me for Valentine's Day. I think they're so pretty and put a half-dozen in a white vase on my kitchen counter. My sons don't share my opinion and always comment about why I still have "those dead weeds" on display!

And, that's not the end of my framing; as you can see, I have lots of work ahead of me! I've had several people ask where I get my frames from over the two years that I've been blogging, and just in case any of the rest of you would like to know, here is the link. Franken Frames runs great specials (I got this particular group of frames (plus the one for "Something Sweet:) for just over $100. They were running a free shipping special and I just couldn't turn that down!

Even better, they offer up to 20 free samples of their frames--I just love playing with the little pieces of wood and holding them up against my stitching to try to find the perfect match right in the comfort of my own home. Here are some of the samples I've ordered in the past... It sure saves a ton of money to frame the smaller things yourself. I would never attempt a giant piece like my Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow, but for medium sized finishes the do-it-yourself price can't be beat!

I'm sure you've all heard the old saying "Kindness begets kindness evermore" (by Sophocles--no, I didn't know that offhand--had to look it up!!). Well, last week something happened which perfectly illustrated this old adage. I happened to see a post by Gabi at Lady of the Floss mentioning a certain out-of-print chart she was craving so I emailed her and offered to let her borrow mine. I know what it feels like to really want to stitch something but be unwilling to spend the big bucks that it is selling for on Ebay. I really didn't know Gabi and I don't think she was a follower of my blog then either, but I just wanted to help a fellow stitcher. Gabi was so thrilled that she offered to send me something on my wishlist. Well, I told her that I really didn't have a wishlist and that the only chart I'd been searching for, for ages and with no luck, was "Betsy" by Sheepish Designs. Well, what do you think dear Gabi did--she located the chart and generously sent it to me. I was so touched--I honestly wasn't looking for any sort of reward for letting her borrow my chart, but I welcomed her gift with open arms. "Betsy" arrived looking even cuter in person and I'm planning on stitching her this summer--thinking of Gabi with each stitch. So, thank you, my new stitching friend--you have no idea how much your kindness meant to me....

I've decided to begin sending little random acts of kindness to my blogging friends and special commenters and first up is this little pin pillow (along with a couple of other goodies) which is on it's way to a new home. I hope the recipient likes it! When I saw the freebie tulip pattern at The Floss Box, I knew it would be a perfect way to use up more of that pretty blue tulip fabric I bought last month. So, I stitched it up, over one on 28 ct. white jobelan, and made it into another tiny pillow... The Floss Box has many darling free charts and some wonderful inexpensive designs for sale, as well--check it out!

Due to the great Blogger debacle of last week, I lost 20 comments from May 12th so I have to extend the drawing for the Sunflower Bellpull chart (I have no idea if anyone who commented on that date put their name in for the drawing or not). You can see my finish here and all I ask is that after you've stitched it you pass on the kindness by giving it to another stitcher. So, if you're interested leave a comment on this post and I'll draw a name on May 31st...

I'll be taking a bit of a blogging break for a couple of weeks so please don't worry if I'm not commenting on your blogs. In the mean time, I'll be working on my new start--anyone have an idea as to what it is? I'll keep you in suspense until my next post, but here's a hint--it involves two of my favorite things :)

Thank you for visiting today, a warm welcome to my new followers, and, as always, your comments are so very much appreciated. Have a great week everyone! Bye for now...

Two big finishes!

2011-05-11T13:10:00.005-04:00

Hello my friends! My blogging seems to be dwindling to a mere twice a month these days... Just a very busy time of year for all of us, isn't it? I do have a big (for me anyway!) finish to share with you which I'm very excited about. Back in February, I was gifted with the lovely Drawn Thread Sunflower Bellpull chart from the very generous Brenda. I can't even begin to tell you how much I enjoyed stitching this piece. Most of you know that I love sunflowers--remember this post from last year?

It's hard to get a good closeup of the entire piece, so I've taken photos of the different sections. The specialty stitches were challenging, but not overwhelmingly so, and they just add so much personality to the piece. If you look closely, you'll see Half Rhodes Stitches, Shell Stitches, Four-sided Stitches, Woven Stitches, Horizontal Smyrna Stitches, Alternating Back Stitches, Diagonal Satin Stitches, Lazy Roman Stitches, and Alternating Double Back Stitches. Whew!

The color used for the alphabet (Needle Necessities Serengeti) added so much to the look and provided great color variation without having to change floss colors. And those giant "bigger-than-the-house" size sunflowers, black crows, and tiny red lady bugs with their beady black heads scattered throughout the piece--adorable!

I think one of the most appealing parts of Sunflower Bellpull is the quote: "When up they riseth early in the morrow; that blissful sight it softeneth my sorrow." Nature has that effect on me--many times it is just the simple glimpse of a bird in flight or newly blooming flower that can bring a smile to my face. I suppose that's why you see so many nature photos on my blog. Another special thing about the quote is that my mother's maiden name can be found somewhere in it--can you guess what it is?

I've covered my name for privacy, but I have a question about names on samplers like this. How on earth does someone with a long name manage to make it fit? Do any of you ever have problems? I just used my first initial and last name, but if you had a really long surname, what would you do? This final section with the delta-shaped sunflower garden is so pretty, isn't it? I loved the four-sided stitch and chose to use it as a border around the entire piece even though it was only charted at the bottom point. I think it just ties up the whole piece very nicely.

As I do with all charts that are passed on to me, I want to pass this along to one of my followers. Simply let me know in your comment (on this post only) if you would like to stitch it and be included in the drawing. My only request is that you stitch it in a timely manner and pass it along when you are done... I'll announce the winner the next time I post. And thank you again Brenda--as you can tell, I truly enjoyed this piece!

My mailbox was full of stitching gifts again last week. The very talented Karen at Karen's Handiwork has a really fun drawing each month. She stitches an ornament for herself and another identical ornament for one of her lucky followers. Well, I won the April ornament and what an ornament it is! It is a very unique and perfectly stitched and beaded beauty called a "humbug." Karen has more information about it (along with much better photos) in this post if you want to try your hand at making your very own humbug. I truly love it, Karen, and it will be an honor to hang it on my tree each Christmas--thank you for sharing your talent with me!

And all the way from England, came another wonderful package from a new reader, sweet June. June doesn't have a blog, but I keep encouraging her--if I can do it, she can, too! Don't you love the miniature card that she created? It is just so sweet and with its birds and flowers it couldn't be more perfect for me. I'm going to try to find a tiny frame for it so I can display it on my kitchen shelf. She included some pretty wildlife charts and a skein of the softest pinkish-lavender floss, too. Thank you so very much, June--I've really enjoyed getting to know you through our emails and I hope you take the plunge into the wonderful world of stitching blogs very soon!

Okay, I guess you're wondering about my other finish--after all the title of this post is "Two big finishes," right? Well, the other finish isn't mine, but my youngest son's. On Sunday, May 8th, (Mother's Day here in the U.S.) I was the proudest mom in the world as I watched him graduate 'magna cum laude' from The University of Richmond. Seeing him receive his diploma with all of those honor cords around his neck brought tears to my eyes. You see, he didn't just sit in the dorm spending his time studying...He played in the jazz band, worked in the computer center, was a writing tutor for underclassmen, volunteered with Hispanic students in the community, studied in Spain, and truly lived the whole college experience to its fullest. (And yes, there were "those" parties and a bit of (ahem) "mischief," too!!)

I thought you might enjoy this collage of photos from the graduation. (Several of you have requested a photo of "the graduate" and his proud parents and I'd be happy to email you one if you'd like--just let me know in your comments. I'm just a bit shy about posting family photos on my blog for some reason.) The weather couldn't have been nicer and showcased the gorgeous campus so beautifully. I'm really going to miss the place--my oldest son graduated from the same college 7 years ago, so we've spent a lot of time in the Richmond area. It was hard to watch my son's rollercoaster of emotions this weekend--he was thrilled to be saying farewell to tests and studying, but saying goodbye to long-time friends and knowing he was about to face life in the "real world" was difficult at times. Now, it's on to job-hunting and deciding about law or graduate school. But, I have no doubt that he'll find happiness and success in whatever path he chooses. With his positive attitude and zest for living, he can't possibly fail...

Well, that's about it for this week. I'll leave you with some shots of the lovely pastel flowers that have recently burst into bloom in my yard--finally!! This had to be the rainiest, coolest spring ever here in western Pennsylvania, but this week has been gorgeous. Hope it lasts into the summer...

Thank you all for your visits, comments, and friendship. I treasure them all... Bye for now...

Stitching the Blues

2011-04-29T08:33:00.006-04:00

Good morning everyone--and what an exciting morning it's been watching the events of the Royal Wedding. I got up before dawn to witness history taking place--I do love a good love story. I was glued to the television as I soaked in each and every detail. From the sweet dresses of the cherubic flower girls to the earnest-looking choirboys to the fresh green trees adorning the aisles of Westminster Abbey; I almost felt as if I was right there myself. Just delightful... And I loved the idea of millions of people from all over the world watching the same event at the same time. I'll have to admit, I got a bit teary-eyed--I always do at weddings. It is such a time of hope...

Anyway, back to my "blue" stitching. I am, and always have been, a lover of all things blue. It doesn't matter the shade of blue--baby blue, periwinkle blue, turquoise blue--I love them all. (It's a good thing I had three sons, isn't it?) And when you combine blue with bunnies--well, that's just about perfect! Now, I've never seen a blue tulip, but, hey, I can dream, right?

As soon as I saw this tulip fabric in the store, I knew what the perfect piece to stitch for it would be: this sweet Tulip Time freebie from Primitive Betty's site. I usually work the opposite way and pick a fabric to complement a piece I've already stitched, but this was a fun change. You'll notice that I changed the location of the words and two of the bunnies--my brain seems to crave symmetry! I wish I was one of those people who could deal with uneven displays on fireplace mantles and that sort of thing, but I like everything well-balanced. Since I wanted to make a tiny pillow out of it, I stitched "Tulip Time" over one on 28 ct. summer khaki Lugana using DMC colors that matched the shades in the fabric. My tulips even cooperated for the photo-shoot as they beautifully bloomed just this week...

I know many of you have already stitched Blackbird Designs' Bluebird pincushion and I finally succumbed to its charms myself. For this piece, I used Nina's Hand Dyed Threads in "Old Jeans" color and stitched it on 32 ct. Belfast Dirty Linen. I just love Nina's threads--they work up so beautifully. I chose to leave out my initial in the upper right corner and will stick some pretty pins in that space instead.

For this finish, I decided to make a long pillow with some coordinating fabric. When I showed my husband after he got home from work the other night, he jokingly asked, "Is that to rest one ear on or what?" Hmmm... I told him it was just decorative and more of a pincushion--not sure if he really understands this whole cross stitch world or not. That is why I've been so happy to discover the wonderfully supportive blogging/cross stitching community--you all really "get" it...

Someone else must have heard it was "blue week" here, too, because just look at what made an appearance at my pond--a great blue heron! I was thrilled to look out my kitchen window yesterday afternoon and see him just standing there like a statue. Wish I could have gotten closer for a better photo (you can click on the picture for a clearer glimpse of him), but, oh my, what a regal looking bird. They only visit two or three times during the year--probably passing by and looking for a quick snack of one of the minnows in our pond. I don't live in the country; I live in the suburbs of a rather large city, so it always thrills me to see this kind of wildlife in my very own yard.

I nearly squealed with delight when I opened this surprise gift from my dear friend Lois at "Of Needles, Pins & Stitching Things". Oh, all right, I admit it--I really did squeal with delight when I saw this sweet bunny scissor fob. Isn't he the cutest rabbit? I was so touched by Lois's kind and generous gift--from the fob to the pretty yellow fabrics to the yummy Lindt chocolate chicks. The little bunny is sitting right here above my desk where he makes me smile ever time I glance up at him. Everything was just perfect and much appreciated. I treasure our friendship, Lois, and thank you again so much for your thoughtful gifts. Your emails always brighten my day and I hope we are still friends when we are old and gray.

We had a lovely Easter brunch here on Sunday for my brother and his family. There were 11 of us including an exchange student from abroad whom they have living with them for the year. When I asked her if she was anxious to head back home at the end of June, she exclaimed in a decidedly American fashion, "No way!" It's so nice to hear from others that they've enjoyed life in the U.S. and to see our country through their eyes. Too often, we take too much for granted living here--I know I do anyway...

My thoughts are with all of those affected by the devastating tornadoes in the south. It surely has been one of the worst years for weather-related disasters I can recall. And, unfortunately, the year isn't even half over yet...

Thank you so much for visiting my blog and for your kind comments. I truly appreciate the time that you take in saying hello each time I post. And a warm welcome to my new followers, too--I hope to visit you at your blogs very soon. Enjoy your weekend everyone! Bye for now...

You know what they say about rabbits...

2011-04-18T06:46:00.001-04:00

Well, they sure have been multiplying around my house lately. I just can't seem to get enough of their sweet brown faces and want to share with you what I've been working on. First up, is this little pillow I created using Bent Creeks' "Bunny" chart (part of "The Littles" series). Don't you just love his dear face--he looks quite concerned about something. This is stitched on 32 ct. Flax Belfast linen and uses whatever WDW and Sampler Threads I had available. Then I simply made a pillow using one of my favorite leafy green fabrics and embellished it with soft yellow ric-rac and mauve colored buttons that pick up the color in the bunny's flower.

Rabbit finish #2 is from the Just Nan chart "HummingBead Heaven" and is called "Bunny Hop." I had so many compliments on my Just Nan bunny finish from my last post that I decided to stitch a different one this week. Here he is romping through a white picket-fenced garden filled with cabbages and foxgloves. Notice the two little lady bugs crawling through the garden, too.

Stitched on 28ct. grey Monaco with DMC threads, this tiny pillow is backed with a cheery green and white polka dot fabric. I'm so proud of myself because I finally got up my nerve to try a ruched ribbon trim. I struggled and struggled to get it right using different online tutorials. Somehow, none of them got through to my feeble brain. Finally, I found an extremely helpful YouTube video that I could understand. The ruching isn't perfect, but I think it came out quite well for my first time. Doesn't the ruching on the pillow resemble bunches of fluffy bunny tails? If you'd like to try ruching yourself, check out this video.

The third and fourth rabbit-themed finishes are, of course, Prairie Schooler designs. First up is the April ornament from Book No. 13: "A Prairie Year." I used the suggested DMC threads and made my own cording out of DMC 223 to match. The fabric is 28ct. tea-dyed Monaco evenweave. I just noticed that the poor bunny has no whiskers, but they weren't charted so I guess maybe they're supposed to be brown whiskers that just blend in with his body.

Finally, I stitched the PS April design from Book No. 90: "Spring & Fall." I used the suggested DMC colors and stitched it on 32 ct. flax Belfast linen. Think I'll frame this one when I find just the right frame. The bunnies would feel right at home huddled under their umbrella with all the rain we've had this spring! The downpours on Saturday were unbelievable, but I didn't mind since I had to work. And, yes, I worked Sunday, too... Not the best weekend to work with all those last-minute folks coming in for tax forms who then get mad at us librarians because we don't know what form they need! We keep telling them we aren't accountants, but oh, the looks they give us. We can hardly wait until tax season ends each April. Do you all have your taxes done? I sure hope you don't owe too much money. Even better, I hope you're lucky enough to be getting money back that you can spend on those much-needed stitching supplies!

Last week's mail brought a couple of lovely gifts from fellow stitchers. First of all Faye at Carolina Stitcher sent me this delightful red scissor fob as a thank you for a chart that I lent her. I'm just tickled to have one of her famous "red" pieces and the personalization on it is very special. Check out the suede cording and the little silver bead that she attached, too. Such a pretty piece...Thank you so much, Faye--I certainly love your thoughtful thank you gift! It will look quite elegant attached to a pair of my favorite scissors...

I was also lucky enough to win this package of gorgeous giveaway goodies from sweet Lynn at Kearnel's Korner. Don't you just love the chick ornament that she made? It is so special to me because it reminds me of the fluffy little chicks that were born last spring at our pond. (If you're new to my blog click here and you can see photos of the nine chicks and their mother paddling merrily along in the pond.) And just look at the gorgeous spring fabrics, cute scissors, and the butterfly ribbon that Lynn included. I am one lucky stitcher. The LHN "Simple Joys" chart is one of my favorites because it is so "me." Thank you so very much, Lynn--I'll think of you each time I use these thoughtful gifts.

I'm sure there are others of you like me who savor the simple things in life. It gives me such pleasure to curl up with a good book at the end of a long day or sort through my buttons or ribbons looking for the perfect accent for one of my ornaments. Or to spy the first sky-blue eggs in a robin's nest in the spring or hear those soft coos of the mourning doves at sunrise... Things that cost little or nothing, but leave me feeling so satisfied and comforted. Just last month, I was thrilled to see this majestic-looking hawk sitting on a branch not more than 10 feet outside my kitchen window. What a sight! No, it really doesn't take much to make me happy... Hope you'll enjoy some simple joys today.

Well, that's about it for this post. I want to thank you, as always, for all the kind comments and emails and wish each of you a wonderful week ahead. Do you have any plans for Easter? My brother and his family will be joining us for Easter brunch and I'm really looking forward to their visit. I only get to see them once or twice a year so it will be special. Wishing everyone who celebrates it a blessed Easter and I hope you find lots of bunnies (chocolate ones, that is!) in your Easter baskets! Bye for now...
HAPPY EASTER!

Hopping in With the Giveaway Winners

2011-04-04T06:51:00.004-04:00

Good morning everyone--and a warm welcome to my new followers! I am amazed and honored that 400+ of my fellow stitchers seem to enjoy visiting my blog--thank you so, so much for taking time out of your busy day to visit me. Would you believe I haven't picked up my needle in a week? Oh, how I've missed the relaxation that my stitching provides... The only thing I have to show you in the way of finishes is this sweet Easter bunny that I rescued from my "almost finished" drawer. I had stitched him back in 2008, but just put the beads on his vest and spats yesterday--so I guess I can officially call him "finished!" I'm thinking about a rustic looking creamy white frame. What do you think?

This piece, titled "Spring Garden" by The Design Connection (as far as I can tell, this is an out-of-print chart), is finished on 28ct. blue Monaco using most of the suggested DMC threads. I did change the colors on the sign to tone them down a bit. I wanted Mr. Rabbit in his little black shoes and argyle vest to be the star of the show. And since I didn't have the suggested buttons for the butterfly and flower in the basket, I stitched them instead. I think the Easter egg trellis is so lovely and don't you love his little "spats" and purple bow-tie? So handsome; a very proper rabbit indeed...

My "Spring Giveaway" certainly attracted more attention than I ever expected! I really was shocked that so many of you threw your names in the hat to win a bit of my stitching. Thank you so much--your compliments on my little ornaments made me blush and I'm so pleased that you took the time to enter. I loved reading about everyone's favorite vacation memories, too. I think I need to add some of your favorite destinations to my "must visit" list...

This is the hard part for me--sending a gift to only three of you. You have been such wonderful friends that you all deserve one, but, unfortunately, I only have three to give away this time. I let the Random Number Generator select my winners and first up was #10. Next was #1. And finally, #67. So, after numbering each entrant and reading the preferences of each winner in her comments, I'm happy to announce the winners are as follows:

DRAWN THREAD WINNER:
Solstitches at A Sampler of Stitches!

"S" IS FOR SPRING WINNER:
Charlene SC at Needle In Hand!

JUST NAN RABBIT WINNER:
Farm Girl at Farm Girl Stitching!

Congratulations to all three of you--please email me with your postal addresses and I'll get your little ornament off to you this week. It makes me happy to know that three of my creations will soon be residing in Spain, South Carolina, and New Zealand! I will definitely be having more giveaways in the future, so if you weren't among the winners, I hope you'll try again.

I spent most of last week in Florida helping my dear parents pack up for their move back north. Saying goodbye to their home of 17 years isn't easy for them, but I'm thrilled that they'll be living within a reasonable (5 hour) driving distance once again. There were many "lasts" this week along with quite a few tears, but it's time for them to start a new chapter of their lives. Anyway, because I was away, I am way, way behind on my blog reading and commenting. I'll really try to catch up with your blogs this week. Please know I've been thinking of you and I'll try my best to visit everyone. I really love to comment on blogs because you never know what a difference a kind word may make in someone's day. I know how one caring comment in the midst of a not-so-great day can bring me a smile :)

In closing, how about a bit of humor to start your week? My sharp-eyed husband spotted this sign outside of a newly remodeled restaurant a few weeks ago. Look closely now! Hmmm... I wonder what color scheme they've used in their newly "remolded" dining room; perhaps a nice black mold or maybe the more common green variety? We've had such a laugh over this and, embarrassingly, I had driven by this sign numerous times myself and never noticed the spelling error. My husband has been wanting to try this restaurant for a while...I think we'll pass!

Thank you all for your sweet comments, emails, and thoughts--I so appreciate each and every one. Hopefully, the next time I post, it will actually feel like spring here... Bye for now...

Spring Giveaway!

2011-03-21T06:50:00.003-04:00

Good morning, everyone--it's SPRING! Yes, spring officially began at 7:21 PM last evening. Finally--I don't ever remember a winter as long and cold as the one we just experienced, do you? So, in honor of the arrival of spring, my 100th post, and the special day that is today, March 21st (I'll tell you about that later), I have created three little pieces for three lucky people. Will one of them be you?

First up is an old Prairie Schooler freebie called "S" Is For Spring. This is probably the third or fourth time I've stitched this one--I like it that much. The chart is not available on the PS website any longer, but I was able to track it down for you via "The Wayback Machine"--oh, I love that name! Click here and be patient...it takes a while to work. I've found a number of older Prairie Schooler freebies that I didn't own via that site. It takes some patience, but there are a lot of goodies to be discovered. This is stitched on 32 ct. white jobelan and accented with a yellow/gold cord and ribbon.

Another oldie, but goodie freebie is this one from The Drawn Thread. Yes, the power of "The Wayback Machine" helped me track this one down, too. You can get it for yourself right here. Just wait a bit and then click on "Free" and you'll see where to click for "The Spring Keeper." The designer meant it to be a scissor keep, but I stitched it as a little spring ornament. Again, I used 32 ct. white jobelan with DMC and WDW threads. I love the little specialty stitches that are on the basket. And a new first for me--I made my own cording in the most luscious shade of soft purple! I finally used the Kreinik Custom Corder that I had been given for Christmas back in 2009 and I was so pleased with how the cording turned out.

Since I had so many wonderful comments about the little Just Nan "Spring!" ornament in my last post, I decided to make another little pillow to offer as my third giveaway. This is stitched on 28 ct. gray Monaco using DMC threads and backed with the leafy green fabric shown underneath it. I topped the white cording with a pale pink ribbon and pin (they're actually much lighter than my photograph is making them look). I'm sure the little brown bunny will find a welcoming home somewhere in the world.

So, now it's up to you to decide which one you would like to try to win. You may enter all three contests and the giveaway is open to my followers, old and new alike. Just leave a comment on this post telling me which ornament(s) you would like to win. And to make it more fun, please tell me your most memorable vacation spot or share with me a favorite memory from one of your vacations or holidays. For me, the image that sticks in my mind is the Cape Cod trip my husband and I took in the fall of 1981 before we had children. I still have a photo of me lounging on the beach in my pale pink bathing suit with my hair blowing in the wind. But, it is the look of complete contentment and joy on my face that makes this photo so special. You see, I was pregnant with my first child--my oldest son who was born 29 years ago today: March 21, 1982.

What a special day for any mother--the birth of her first child... I'm very proud of the young man he has become and it is so heart-warming to look back on that photo of myself, the young "soon-to-be" mother, and know that so many of my hopes and dreams for my child have come true. So Happy 29th Birthday to my firstborn son--may the coming year bring you every happiness!

Thank you so much for visiting my blog and for your many kind comments. I so appreciate the time that you take in saying hello each time I post! I'll keep the giveaway open until April 2nd--good luck to all. Bye for now...

Paying It Forward

2011-03-11T07:50:00.006-05:00

Good morning, my friends! Last year around this time, I was lucky enough to receive a beautifully stitched piece from Andrea as part of a PIF (Pay-It-Forward). You can see what she sent me right here--gorgeous, isn't it? Well, I had one year to stitch three treats for fellow stitchers who signed up to continue the kindness after they received my gifts. I squeaked right in under the deadline and I'm happy to say all three PIFs have been received and the recipients seem quite pleased with my efforts.

This little bird flew all the way to New Zealand and is now making his home with Lee. She is a major bird-lover, so I knew this would be the perfect piece for her. I've stitched it before for myself back in 2009, but mine remains unfinished in a dark drawer--I really need to get to it! I finished this one with some tiny brown beads and a brown ribbon hanger that I thought complemented the shades of brown in the bird. It is stitched on 32 ct. twilight blue Permin linen using DMC threads. "Painted Egg" is from the Cross-Eyed Cricket Design No. 109 chart called "Eggs...etera." (By the way, I will forever associate this little design with the beginning of my friendship with Myra as she asked about it and our friendship was born!) Anyway, I'm so glad you like it, Lee--it was a pleasure stitching it for you...

My next PIF has hopped it's way into the hearts of Melanie and her family in the United Kingdom. She told me that not only did she love it, but that her children were trying to claim it for their own, too! This is from Just Nan's "Spring!" chart and is stitched on 28 ct. gray Monaco with DMC. I backed it with the pale green leafy fabric shown and added a trio of pink, green, and white ribbons. I'm sure the little bunny will be very happy in his new home "across the pond."

I actually sent my third PIF to Shari in Indiana back in December. Most of you will recognize this as another Just Nan piece called "Snow Faces." Sweet Cindy had given me the chart as a gift last year and I thoroughly enjoyed stitching it. It is finished on 28 ct. blue Monaco with the suggested DMC threads. I did add a little border around it to give it a little something "extra" and trimmed it with snow-white cording and a pretty ribbon. I hope you enjoy it for years to come, Shari...

So, that completes my portion of the PIF--I look forward to seeing what creations spring from the hands of these three talented stitchers...

Oh, and look what we woke up to again this morning. After days of rain, surprise...the snow has returned. This is the view from my front door taken just now. Seriously, Mother Nature--did you know that spring begins on March 20th--nine days from now? It looks more like Christmas outside doesn't it? Time to get out the shovels again...

And, finally, finally, after two+ years, I have reached my 100th post today!! I think this calls for a bit of a giveaway--what do you think? Look for a little stitched something as a giveaway prize on my next post... Nothing huge, just a little token of my appreciation to say thank you for visiting me and taking the time to say 'hello!' Your comments never fail to bring me smiles. Have a wonderful weekend, everyone. Bye for now...

Tweet! Tweet!

2011-03-04T07:03:00.004-05:00

Good morning all! Hope everyone has had an enjoyable week so far. This week I stitched and finished my March ornament, LHN's "Cardinal Winter" which Valerie gave me for my birthday. I stitched it "over one" on some mystery fabric using the suggested Crescent Colours and DMC threads, with a few substitutions. I had to change the word "Tweet" from the suggested white to a dark green to make it show up on this fabric and I also changed the rabbits to more resemble the color of the little bunnies that appear in our yard each summer, fluffy white tails and all! I then finished it off as a little hanging pillow and trimmed it with ric-rac and a little red bird button. What do you think?

Speaking of "tweeting," do you "tweet" on "Twitter?" Maybe it's just a generational thing, but I just don't get it... My sons keep telling me it's useful for business, but I don't understand who has the time to "follow" all these people/celebrities on Twitter. Can any of you younger stitchers enlighten me (I guess that would be most of you!)? As I said, it probably is a generational thing; after all, I just found out that I'm eligible for the "senior citizen" discount at a national department store and I'm only 56! Oh, don't get me wrong, I love the idea of a few extra dollars off my purchases, but I think that actually, they're just calling me "old." And I honestly don't feel old...I'm just slowing down a bit.

This collage of cardinal photos was taken from my kitchen window this winter. To me, there is something so striking about those brilliant red birds set against the snowy landscape. Our snow has finally melted, and I'm not sorry to see it go. I'm so envious of all of you who have little buds appearing and flowers blooming already. Hopefully, our spring will be here before long.

I also began stitching Drawn Thread's "Sunflower Bellpull" that Brenda surprised me with. I'm just loving the colors of this one and all the new specialty stitches that I'm learning. I'm probably about one-fifth of the way done--it is going to be a long, long piece (but then, again, it is a bellpull!).Thank you again, Brenda--I'm thoroughly enjoying myself with this one. It is so nice to stitch something that reminds me of warmth and sunny summer days!

This wonderful treasure trove of charts, fabric, and thread arrived through the generosity of Becky in one of her recent giveaways. Twelve gorgeous charts, some pretty opalescent blue fabric, and two skeins of DMC 115 greeted me when I opened her package! Becky, you are such a generous soul (not to mention the very fastest stitcher on earth!)--I truly am thrilled with everything. I only hope I can make these pieces look half as nice as yours did when you stitched them. Thank you again so very, very much...

And just look at this Christmas gift, (yes, I did say Christmas gift) that finally arrived in my mailbox last week after three long months! My sweet blogging friend, Edit, mailed this from Spain on December 2nd, 2010! Just where has it been hiding all these months? I'm wondering about your experiences with international mailings...have you ever had a package disappear or take an extra long time to arrive at its destination? Edit and I had both just about given up on it when it decided to make its appearance. But, oh, it was so worth the wait; just look at what she sent: a beautifully sewn stitching pouch featuring one of my favorite woodland designs, some lovely ribbon, tiny aqua blue beads, handmade felt ornament and threadholder, and some brown floss that says it smells like chocolate when you stitch with it! Have you ever heard of such a thing?! What could be better than combining two of the things I love most: chocolate and stitching? Thank you, dear Edit--I'll treasure the pouch for years to come and enjoy using each of the other treats you included. I'm thrilled that we've become friends across the miles...

Finally, the winner of the Hillside Sampling "Seasonal Samplings" chart giveaway from my previous post is Hilda from "Hildi's Good Life" blog in Austria! Hilda, please send me your mailing address and I'll get the chart off to you as soon as I can. I hope you enjoy stitching it as much as I did. Thanks to all who entered--perhaps it will make its way to one of you in the future as it is passed on from stitcher to stitcher.

I have a nice day to look forward to. I'm meeting Lee, the Lake Stitcher herself, for some lunch and an afternoon of stitching. I can't wait--it's always nice to spend time with others who share your passion, isn't it? Enjoy your weekend everyone and thanks for taking the time to visit my little corner of the stitching universe! I always love reading your comments and seeing what you've been up to each week... Bye for now...

Seasonal Samplings

2011-02-23T21:42:00.006-05:00

Hello everyone! Sorry it has been a while since my last post. I've just been working more than usual and haven't really been "in the mood" to write. Is it just me, or do you have to be in the right frame of mind to compile a post, too? Many of you are so good about posting each week (or even multiple times a week!). Here I am with over two years of blogging and I haven't even reached my 100th post. Sigh...

But, I do have a "year's worth" of stitching that I've done over the past couple of weeks to share with you. Hard to believe? Well, I...

Started with a bit of Spring...

Added a touch of Summer...

Threw in a pinch of Autumn...

Topped it off with a sprinkling of Winter...

And I had stitched a full year of all four seasons!

I honestly can't remember the last time I enjoyed stitching a piece so much! "Seasonal Samplings" by Hillside Samplings is a chart passed on from dear Melissa over at Words and Blooms last year. I don't know what it was about this piece, but it instantly calmed me down as soon as I started stitching. (Well, except for the point when I realized I had mistakenly stitched eyelet stitches for the apples rather than Rhodes stitches and I had to rip every single one out!) What's the most relaxing piece you've ever stitched?
I used 28 ct. natural brown linen for this piece along with the suggested DMC colors, but I changed the rabbit to brown so he would show up better and resemble the little bunnies that visit my yard each summer. The lettering, rabbit, birds, and year are all stitched "over one." And I love the specialty stitches--they just add so much dimension to the piece.

Since I enjoyed Seasonal Samplings so much, chances are one of you will, too, so I'm having a drawing to pass it along. Just leave a comment (on this post only) letting me know that you would like to be included and I'll announce the winner when I post next (which knowing me could be a couple of weeks!). I only ask that, when you are finished stitching it, you pass along the chart yourself and keep the kindness going...

I've been on a lucky streak lately and want to thank two special bloggers for their generous giveaways. First of all I won a very nice $25 gift certificate to 1-2-3 Stitch from the generous Riona at Oubliette. She was having a giveaway to celebrate her 500th post! Can you imagine?!! At this rate, I'll be 100 years old before I reach that milestone. Thank you so much, Riona--I can hardly wait to go shopping and I'll be sure to let you know what goodies I choose...

And from one of the most entertaining bloggers out there, Barbara at Mainely Stitching, I won this quartet of spring-themed charts. Aren't they so cute and, well, spring-like? Most of you are probably familiar with the adventures of Barbara's four kids and the house rooster (yes, rooster!), but if not, please pay her a visit...There is always so much fun going on over there. Thank you so much, Barbara--I need a touch of spring more than you can imagine after this never-ending winter!

A big winter storm caught western Pennsylvania by surprise Monday night. Things were so bad it took my dear husband almost three hours to make the normally 20-minute drive from the city to our house. Cars were abandoned everywhere and driving was treacherous. I can count on two hands the number of days we haven't had snow on the ground since early December--winter just seems endless this year.

But, the next day dawned sunny and, oh, so beautiful. It almost made up for the fact that spring doesn't seem right around the corner any longer! Just the day before this storm hit, I had seen my first robin and a tiny violet poking it's head out of the ground. Maybe next week things will turn around. Please...enough is enough!

Your comments on my last post meant so much to me--I'm glad you enjoyed my little story about the young mother. Thank you all for your visits, your comments, and your friendship. Hopefully, the next time I write the snow will be gone. And to all of my New Zealand blogging friends dealing with that horrible earthquake, please know my thoughts are with you...

Have a wonderful week everyone and take some special time to do what you love most. Bye for now...

Saying Thanks

2011-02-09T13:00:00.015-05:00

Hello everyone... Hope each of you is enjoying a good week so far! I'm just counting each of these frigid wintry days as one day closer to spring. It can't come soon enough for me... This sage green Prairie Schooler Santa is my latest finish--my monthly ornament is actually done early for a change! He can be found in Prairie Schooler's "Santa Moon" book and is stitched "over one" on black Monaco using the suggested DMC threads. Would you believe the most difficult part of this was putting together his little bundle of sticks? I used some tiny pieces of branches that had blown down during a recent windy day, glued them together, tied them with raffia, and sewed them onto the finished piece.

Isn't his large, ruddy nose funny-looking? Hope he is just cold and hasn't been imbibing in too much "Christmas cheer!" I wanted a rustic looking finish for this one, so I used the idea suggested by Vonna for the new LHN "Cardinal Winter" ornament--a twig frame. My husband helped me carve the grooves into the twigs so they would fit together more snugly. (As he says, it's our first collaborative cross stitch ornament!) I then glued the twigs together, tied raffia around the corners and used it as the hanger. What do you think?

My mailbox was overflowing with goodies last week... First of all came this glorious rainbow of hand-dyed threads that I had won in a very generous giveaway from Between Crosses With Nina last month. The talented and generous Nina let me choose 25 skeins of her hand-dyed threads as my prize. I waited and waited and waited--so worried that her package had been lost in the mail, but, one month later, it finally arrived. Oh, were they ever worth the wait--they are amazing!

Of course, I wanted to try them out right away, so I stitched up this Lizzie Kate "Be My Valentine" piece over the weekend. This was the second time I've stitched this--I sent the first to my dear parents as a finished card last February. Aren't the colors pure loveliness? For this piece, stitched on 32 ct. dirty linen, I used Nina's "Old Jeans," "Moss," "Eggplant," and "Raspberry" threads along with DMC 3865 for the border. I'm just thrilled with the color variations and how easy it was to work with her threads. Thank you so, so much, Nina--your gift brought some much needed color and cheer into my gray winter days!

I was truly touched to receive a wonderful package from dear Brenda, also. I had admired this Drawn Thread "Sunflower Bellpull" chart on Brenda's lovely blog (if you haven't been over to visit, please do--I promise you you'll be thrilled with her stitching and darling punch needle finishes!) and she offered to send it to me since she was done with it. Well, imagine my surprise when I opened the mailing envelope and found not only the chart, but the linen, the beads, and all of the threads as well! Brenda, your generosity touches my heart...I can't wait to start stitching this (sunflowers are one of my favorite things as most of you know) and you can be sure I will pass on the chart when I am finished. Thank you so very much!

Last, but by no means least, sweet Valerie sent me a belated birthday gift. She was worried that I might have the charts already, but they were all new to me and each and every one is something I would have picked myself. And look at the tiny packet of BBD fabrics--don't you love them?! I'm sure you'll be seeing some of them incorporated into my ornaments in the future. Most of you are probably familiar with Valerie's blog, but if you're not, why not stop in. Although I am just a "bit" older (okay, I'm old enough to be her mother!) we have become email pals and I love reading about her life in San Francisco and the ups and downs of life as a single young woman. So, thank you Valerie, for your wonderful gifts and for your friendship--both are so special...

Since the title of my post is "Saying Thanks," I want to tell you about a very heart-warming "thank you" that I received myself not long ago... As you know, I'm a librarian and am thanked countless times by people whom I've helped. One evening, a while back, I was walking back to the reference desk with an elderly patron and I noticed a young woman waiting there presumably to ask a question. When I finished up with the older woman, she said: "Thank you, you've been so very helpful." And the younger woman piped in: "She always is." I looked at her quizzically and after saying goodbye to the elderly patron, I walked over to her...

"You may not remember me," she began, "but, I was here a while back and you handed me the books that helped me diagnose my son's condition." Shivers ran up my spine and it all came back to me; a rather distraught, scared young mother, with a stack of medical books surrounding her, looking for anything and everything that could possibly help save her young son's life. None of the numerous doctors she had taken him to had been able to diagnose him and she was bound and determined to find out what was wrong with him. I had pulled every pediatric, neurological, and brain-related medical book that I could find and piled them on the table in front of her as she frantically searched for an answer.

"Because of your help, my son will be operated on at The Cleveland Clinic on Friday and I just wanted to thank you," she whispered, and then began to cry. I came out from behind the desk, hugged her and cried myself. How scared she must have been. You see it was a brain operation on a two-year old. This mother had diagnosed a very rare condition using the books in our mid-sized public library! I told her that I had received many, many thank-yous during the 20+ years I've worked as a Reference Librarian, but hers was like the cherry on top of the ice cream sundae.

I saw this young mother soon after the operation and was almost scared to ask about the outcome. Thankfully, her son had come through it with flying colors and, with rehab, would live a normal life. A miracle... I recently saw her in the library again with a "Nursing School Entrance Exam" book tucked under her arm. Yes, she's decided to go to back to school to become a nurse--I know she'll be an excellent one...

I told you this story not because I did anything special--I was simply doing my job. But, the fact that this young woman took the time to come back and thank me for my help--now that is special. Try saying "thank you" to others for even simple things--it might just make someone's day. (And you just might feel better, too!)

I'm so appreciative of the friends I've made over my two years of blogging--I hope you all know how special I think you are. The fact that you take the time to leave a comment or send an email means so much to me. Special thanks to my international friends who take the time to translate my posts and leave a comment. I am really touched at the amount of effort that it must take you to do so... Have a wonderful weekend everyone--only 39 days to Spring--yippee!!

Snowy Finishes and Lucky Winners

2011-01-29T08:03:00.005-05:00

Good morning everyone! How are you all coping with this brutal winter weather? We haven't been hit nearly as badly as you poor people in the eastern corridor of the U.S., and yet, I'm still more than ready for some warmer weather. I don't ever remember a winter this cold, day after day, do you? Well, in spite of not stitching much this month, I do have a couple of things to share with you. First up is my ornament for January. I'm doing an "Ornament-a-Month" stitch-along with Lois, Valerie, and Staci. It's so nice to have company :)

I couldn't resist this quartet of Santas freebie that I found here at the Floss Box. It was designed by the very talented Emily Wilmarth to be a biscornu, but I made a couple of changes to turn it into a diamond-shaped ornament. I changed the colors to what I call the "Prairie Schooler palette": DMC 221, 520, 729, 3363, and 407 along with white and black and used 32 ct. gray Barnwood linen. I also stitched red and white stripes up each diagonal corner and added snowflakes on either side of the Santas. Using invisible thread, I stitched through the center of the ornament a few times to give it a "tufted" look. Add on some tiny black beads for eyes, a bit of white cording, and some white and sage green ribbon and I have another ornament for my tree!

My second finish is "January" from the Prairie Schooler "Summer & Winter" booklet. This was the piece I had planned on working on in Florida, but I left the chart at home so it took me much longer to finish it than it should have. But, it was worth the wait. I really love how it turned out and with all the deer we have in our yard, it holds special meaning. You can even catch a glimpse of a small pond behind the Canadian Goose off to the right just like we have in our back yard. (The photo in my header is our pond as seen from an upstairs window.)

No, we don't live in a log cabin, but there is one I pass on the way to the grocery store that I have my eye on! I've always thought a cozy cabin in the mountains of North Carolina sounded like a perfect place to live...Anybody else? This is stitched on 32 ct. Flax Belfast linen (which seems to be my fabric of choice these days) using the recommended DMC threads. I am using the same pop-out frame that I've used for the December, November, October, and September pieces that I've already stitched in this series. What a money saver!

The other day we looked out our kitchen window and spotted these two deer standing on top of our frozen pond. They appeared to be drinking from a small hole near the back of the pond that hadn't frozen over yet. I was just hoping and praying that they didn't fall through the ice and get stuck. Yes, it has happened before and the results were not pretty...I'll never forget that poor little deer.

I was thrilled to receive a belated Christmas and birthday package from dear Mary last week. Just look at all of these goodies she sent me! For Christmas I received this bright and cheery potholder and towel set along with the cutest pair of black cat scissors. Mary knows I have a "thing" for black cats!

And for my birthday, Mary spoiled me with a "January" chart from Drawn Thread and the prettiest little "Friends" ornament that she stitched just for me. Isn't it sweet? And look at the pretty hand-made counting pins she included. Thank you so much, my friend--I will treasure your gifts as I do your friendship... Stitchers truly are the kindest people.

Do any of the rest of you think you spend way too much time online? Well, I discovered just how much I could get done on Monday when our internet was down for the entire day. I accomplished more than I would normally get done in a whole week including making these cookies for my birthday treat at work (when it is our birthday month, we supply the goodies for our monthly meeting.) Can you smell the butter and sugar oozing through your computer screens? Pictured here are pecan pie bars, chocolate raspberry brownie bites, oatmeal raisin cookies and spritz butter cookies. Needless to say, these were gobbled up very quickly by my fellow librarians. I do love to bake and I think my dream job would be to own a combination stitching / bookstore / bakery. "Stitches, Stories, and Sweets"--how does that sound?

Well, if you've stayed with me this long, thank you. I do tend to run on and on in some of my posts. I'm sure you're anxious to hear who won my birthday giveaways... I called in a little helper to pick the winners. My little snowman reached in with his long twig-like arms and picked the winner of the "Winter Into Spring" giveaway package.

And what name did my assistant pull out? Why the very lucky Michele B..!! Congratulations, Michele B., you are the winner of the "Winter into Spring" giveaway. Please send me your full name and address and the goodies will be on their way to you next week.

For Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow my snowman decided to ask his little bald-headed buddy to help him choose the lucky name. There were far fewer entries for this one so you each had a better chance of winning.

But, in the end, there could be only one winner and my winter friends picked: Meadows08! Congratulations, Meadows08, you have won the chart for "Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow" and the DMC threads needed to stitch it! Please send me your full name and address and the package will be on its way to you very soon.

"WINTER INTO SPRING" GIVEAWAY WINNER:

Michele B. at "X Marks My Spot"

"CHRISTMAS AT HAWK RUN HOLLOW" GIVEAWAY WINNER:

Meadows08 at "For the Love of Cross Stitch"

Congratulations to both winners and thank you all for participating in my giveaways and for the kind birthday wishes. I really loved hearing the stories behind all of your avatars. Very interesting to read them and I felt that I got to know a bit more about each of you. If you have the time--look back through the comments on my last posting; I think you'll enjoy reading them as much as I did. Well, I hope the coming week is good to you and brings you plenty to smile about. Bye for now...