Getaway Weekend and Giveaway Winner

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...