Three small finishes

Hello, my friends! How was your September? I know it's a short month, but it seemed to whiz by faster than ever, didn't it? I can't even begin to tell you how absolutely perfect the weather has been for us here in western Pennsylvania since my last post two weeks ago... Sunshine, mid-70s, no humidity, cool nights--honestly, if I could find an area of the United States that offers that kind of weather day in and day out, I'd seriously consider moving. And you know what I've found? Everyone seems happier--everyone has a smile on their faces or a kind word to offer. Just yesterday a woman came over to me at the library's Reference Desk as I worked and whispered, "I just love this place." I smiled back at her and agreed, "I do, too!" And  last week, I had a patron tell me how nicely I interacted with other patrons. Neither of these people had to do that--they just wanted to pass along a compliment. Working with the public, I do try to go out of my way to be kind and patient with others who also work with the public: store clerks, waitresses, receptionists. Working with the public is tough--you just never know who you're going to be dealing with, but I've come to learn that you get back what you give and a smile and a kind word go a long, long way...

I've been catching up on my monthly ornament stitching lately and have two new Christmas finishes to share with you today. Surprise, surprise--they are both Prairie Schoolers! First up is a piece stitched from the  Prairie Schooler Mini-Card Collection E which comes with a variety of ten miniature Halloween, Christmas, and Easter designs. At a dollar a design (or less!), I think these little PS Mini-Card Collections are a great deal. This Santa is stitched over one on 28 ct. black Monaco. Doesn't he look like he's popping up out of the woods to try to scare someone. When I showed the finish to my husband, he asked, "What is  C X?" Ha-ha!! Well, I guess it does look a bit like those letters at the top of the piece, but I explained to him that those are supposed to be the moon and a large snowflake...

To finish him off into my September ornament, I used this fun black and red polka dot fabric and white cording and ric-rak. I thought the fabric fit particularly well with the whimsical nature of the design. What do you think? I did make a few color changes--made all the snowflakes, the moon, and Santa's mittens white, along with the lettering.

My October ornament is a more traditional Prairie Schooler Santa from book No. 48 "A Christmas Visit." This one is stitched on 40 ct. flax Newcastle using the suggested DMC threads. The only change I made was to the teddy bear (my middle son says it looks like some sort of gremlin!) in the bag that he's carrying. I didn't stitch complete x's for his eyes and mouth--just small straight stitches. The ornament is backed with the pretty olive green and burgundy fabric shown on the right. The colors really pick up those of Santa's robe.

A more traditional stitching needs a more traditional finish so I simply added cording and a small gingham ribbon to this one. I'm very pleased with it...

Here is a closer look for you... I dream of stitching every single Prairie Schooler Santa some day. Do you think I can do it?

It's hard to believe I have only two ornaments left to stitch and finish to complete my monthly goal for 2014. I'm certainly looking forward to seeing them displayed on my Christmas tree in December!

I have one other thing to share with you today and that is a little RAK that I recently sent to my sweet friend, Annette, in The Netherlands. I really enjoy reading Annette's blog and seeing photos of her darling children--she is just so upbeat and lively! Her blog always makes me smile so I decided to stitch a little freebie from the Gazette 94 blog which you can find right here. I loved the border so much on this one with the  tiny fish, ice cream cones, kites, and beach huts--adorable!

This is actually stitched on 40 ct. white Newcastle, but the above photo certainly doesn't show the true color! Below is a much better photo and you can see that I added some blue cording and a small seashell to the pillow to finish it off. Annette really loved it and I was so happy to hear that the gifts I sent to her children were also well-received.

I just noticed yesterday how much the leaves are beginning to change--all the glorious reds, oranges, and golds are beginning to paint a lovely canvas in these Pennsylvania hills. I've heard that the autumn foliage is supposed to be especially pretty this year due to our cooler than normal summer. (At least there was something good about that summer)! Our local turkey family happened to pass through the yard last week and I managed to get a quick photo--just look at how much the little ones are growing!

Here are the little guys back in July... Unfortunately, I only saw six baby ones and there were seven before. Poor little thing... I wonder what happened to him? I sure hope the family has a plan to go into hiding as Thanksgiving draws closer!

This deer decided to check out our patio and the new white bench we just added. I think he likes it; he looks quite "at home" standing right outside our kitchen door, doesn't he?

Well, I think this may be the shortest post I've written in a while--maybe more of you actually made it all the way through this one!  I know I tend to go on and on at times when all most of you are here for is to see my finishes, but I really enjoy sharing a bit of my world with you, too. Welcome to all my new followers and, as always, big thanks to those of you who take the time to leave me those wonderful comments--I so appreciate each and every one. 

I hope each of you has a lovely October--it's going to be a busy one for me with a mini family reunion in NY, a stitching retreat in Erie, and my best friend's son's wedding in Indiana. But, today I am off to the dermatologist to have her check out a very itchy spider bite that I got on my chest this weekend--it's always something with me and my weird medical issues lately, that's for sure... I may be a bit out-of-touch this month, but I'll do my best to visit your blogs and say "hello."  Bye for now...