Bunnies and blue (and a bit of beach time)

The last day of April--can you believe it? The year is one third over! I'm back with some stitching and a life update and I hope this finds you all doing well. Who else is finding stitching time to be in short supply at this point in the year? I think I stitched a total of about two hours over the past week (but I do have a good excuse for that which I'll go into later on in this post). 

For those of you who know me only as that dedicated "one ornament a month" or small pillow stitcher, you'll probably be a bit surprised by this new finish. I began "A Stitch In Time" by The Workbasket back in July 2020 when we were in California quarantining before our grandson came into the world. I worked on it from time to time since then and finally finished it completely in early March. I've had this chart in my stash for years (it is from 2005) and I'm glad I finally took the plunge and stitched it.

"A Stitch In Time" finish

The suggested Kreinik Silk Mori threads on 40 ct. Woodland Newcastle linen were used for this finish. I love the beautiful flowers in varying shades of blue with their specialty stitches.

And the little creatures are so adorable... I mean who doesn't love a pale blue swan? Those cute white owls are so sweet, too!

As always, I made a few changes to my finish... The original design had the saying "A stitch in time saves my mind" charted below the flower pot (you can see it right here) and it just didn't appeal to me. So, I made the decision to center the entire motif and eliminate the words. Instead, I stitched my initials and the year on either side of the flower pot and I'm very pleased with the result!

Can't wait to get this one back from the framer!

I took a leap of faith and mailed this piece (along with two other large finishes) to Total Framing in Virginia so they could work their magic. Hopefully, I'll have them back some time in May. And, of course, I'll share the framed finishes with you right here. 

What draws you to choose what to stitch? For me, the colors in this design are perfect for my family room, but the thing that really called my name were the cute bunnies on the flower pot. They remind me so much of the Dedham Pottery bunnies that I've collected for years. I began collecting these reproduction pieces in the '90s and purchased most of them on Ebay. Through the years I've probably added nearly 50 pieces to my collection. 

For the past couple of months, I've filled my Pottery Barn cubby with some of my Dedham Pottery. As you can see there are bunny figurines, little vases and jars--even a two-piece egg!

My Pottery Barn cubby this month

I'm not sure what captivated me about this pottery. I do love the bunnies' sweet faces, of course, but I also love the crackled glazing on the pieces. And, of course, I love the blue and white--always such a crisp, clean look.

Do you have a favorite?

 

I also have some larger pieces not displayed here including two different teapots, a casserole dish, even a recipe box! They've been displayed in the glass-front cabinets in my kitchen for over 25 years and I've never grown tired of them. 

Why, I even have similar bunnies on the pillow covers in my family room which I ordered on Etsy--they came all the way from England!

Here you can see the pillows in my family room setting. Remember the new rug that I mentioned a few posts back. Many of you said you'd like to see it, so here it is... Yes, it's clear that I love blues! That navy blue chair on the left is my stitching chair, which, sadly hasn't seen much use lately. Why is that? Well... read on!

My family room--and my stitching chair where you'll find me most every evening!

 

And here is a view from the opposite end--on the far right you can see my Pottery Barn cubby hanging on the wall leading into the kitchen. I stood on the window seat to take this photo which is why the room looks bigger than it is! It's simply a nice cozy space and the new rug gave the room some much needed pattern...

So, why haven't I been stitching? Two weeks after we returned from seeing our grandbaby in California, we were on the plane again--this time heading south to sunny Naples, Florida. No, it wasn't for a holiday--we were there to work. And work we did--boy, I can't remember the last time I was that tired at the end of each day. You see, my in-laws' health has deteriorated so they had to bid farewell to their Florida home and are now residing in a nursing home in Ohio (about an hour from us). We flew down to get their home ready for the rental market which meant a lot of trips to Goodwill (for both dropping off and purchasing), organizing, cleaning, repairing, rearranging, etc. 

We did enjoy a bit of free time over the weekend when my youngest son flew in for a quick visit. We went out to eat with him a couple of times and saw the prettiest skies as the sun was about to set. I did manage to take one lone walk on the lovely Naples beach which is only five blocks from my in-laws' home.

Naples, Florida at sunset

Naples is truly one of the prettiest places I've visited--beautiful homes, wonderful restaurants, and charming little shops and boutiques. If you haven't had the chance to visit, I highly suggest it! I'm usually not one for the sun and heat and beach life, but even I fell under the spell of this Gulf Coast city.

The beautiful end of a busy day

My youngest son took this photo of my husband and me at the Naples dock right before dinner. We don't look too tired here, but, honestly, we were both wiped out from working from dawn to bedtime... Did we get everything done? No, we will be making more trips down at some point. But, I think next time, we'll try to fit in a bit more relaxation (and I'll definitely make sure to carve out more stitching time!).

Tired, but still smiling!

Giveaway winner... I drew a name for the chart of the yellow daffodils in the blue vase  that I offered in my previous post and the winner is...

APRIL M. 

April--you are the winner of this chart!

Congratulations, April! Please email me with your mailing address and I'll get this chart right out to you. I hope you enjoy stitching it--it really is a beauty. I'll be having more giveaways in future posts, so please stop by again!

I was the winner of a beautiful giveaway on Instagram myself! Just look at this huge project pouch made by the talented Michelle from Under the Woolen Willow. Michelle "saves the stitches" that she finds in thrift stores and turns them into beautiful project pouches. She has a wonderful Etsy shop which you can find right here. Thank you again, Michelle--this was a real treat and your work is perfection!

A lovely giveaway win from Michelle at "Under the Woolen Willow"

I was happy to find our spring flowers and trees still in bloom when we returned from Florida. Honestly, is it just me, or do they seem to be more beautiful than ever this year? This busy bee certainly seems to be loving the miniature rhododendron. We had heavy rains yesterday which brought down many of the blossoms, but I was so glad to enjoy a few days of their beauty and lovely scent.

Spring in western Pennsylvania

 

Well, a busy month lies ahead, but it's one I've waited for for ever-so-long--my grandson is coming for a visit! Yes, my oldest son, daughter-in-law, and almost 10-month-old (and into EVERYTHING!) grandbaby will be here for two weeks in May. I've been busy setting up a little play area (at the far end of our sunroom where the Christmas tree usually sits), babyproofing, and purchasing a crib, highchair, diapers, etc. in preparation. (My oldest son has not been home in over a year and a half so I think he is more excited than anyone)! Thank goodness for vaccinations--such a feeling of freedom after all the time we were isolated from our loved ones. I feel truly grateful and thankful for the scientists who worked so hard to come up with these vaccines, don't you?

I'm having such fun setting up a little play area for my grandson's visit!

I'll be reading blogs only off and on during their visit, but I hope each of you has a wonderful month of May. Not sure when I will post again, but I'll try to check in with you at some point. Thank you for all of your supportive comments--I do appreciate each and every one. I'm also thankful for those of you who have taken the time to email me and thank me for inspiring you, stitching-wise. Those kind emails always make me smile and give me the push I need to keep on writing "Stitching Dreams." Have a wonderful day, everyone! Bye for now...