A cute Halloween finish

It's a cool, dreary, rainy afternoon here in western Pennsylvania... The perfect kind of day for stitching, but before I settle down in my stitching chair, I thought I'd drop in and say "hello!" Our weather has gone from sunny, summer-like weather just five days ago to today's more typical late October/early November gloom. But, I have an upcoming visit with my grandson to look forward to, so that helps keep me going through all the sad news and events that the world is dealing with on a daily basis. It's been an extremely difficult and sad month, that's for sure...

But, how about a cute Halloween finish to bring a smile? This sweet design by Luminous Fiber Arts is called "All Hallows' Eve" and is stitched on 40 ct. raw natural Newcastle linen. I did make a few color changes--mainly to the moon. I wanted more of a golden moon so I used DMC 729 and 680. I also added a few leaves in the same 729 color (at the bottom of the design) to the charted orange ones. 

My finish of "All Hallows' Eve" by Luminous Fiber Arts

I filled in the eyes of the bird and cat using DMC 729 and added gray (WDW Porpoise) and a bit of white to fill in the moon's eye. You can see the eyes better in the photo below.

Isn't that mischievous black cat the cutest thing?

That stack of grinning pumpkins just makes me smile! I am definitely in the "cute Halloween" camp--anything scary or gory is not my idea of fun. How about you? I know some of you don't stitch Halloween themed pieces at all and I've definitely slowed down since my dad passed away on Halloween in 2014, but I still like to stitch at least one design each October.

These adorable cat scissors were a gift from a long-ago blogging friend.

I framed the piece in a simple black frame found at Goodwill for only $2.00. Well, it didn't start out as black or as the right size for this design! My dear husband cut it down to fit perfectly and I painted it a matte black and there you have it. This will be a gift for my three-year-old grandson who loves both kitties and pumpkins and is so excited to be going trick-or-treating in just two days.

I love it when I can find a thrift shop frame to use in my finishing. Thank you so much to my husband for resizing it for me!

Here is a closer look at the frame. Notice our stunning Japanese maple with its leaves turning the most beautiful crimson color in the background outside the window. 

I'm almost caught up with the finishing on my ornaments for September, October, and November so I'll share those with you next time. I need to get busy and finish up some Christmas gifts and, perhaps, start a Christmas sampler next month. I feel like I'll have some extra time this year since we're not hosting Thanksgiving. I'll miss seeing our sons, but it's their year to spend Thanksgiving with their significant others' families. 

I only had a few entries for the monthly kitty chart... I was surprised there were so few, but I know people just aren't reading blogs as much as they used to. My readership statistics are way down and it does make me question why I keep writing my blog. Of course, I love having a record of my work, but I can also do that in a private blog and not put myself out there for the world to see. I actually got a horrible comment on an older post last week that was just filled with the word "DIE" repeated in capital letters over and over. I mean, what's the point of that? Honestly, it hurts and things like that definitely have me questioning the future of Stitching Dreams...

Anyway, the winner of the kitty monthly chart is...

 KATIE in Indiana!

Katie--you are the winner of this cute chart! Please contact me with your mailing address and I'll pop it in the mail this week. Hope you enjoy stitching these kitties!

With a frost forecast in our area last week, I made sure to run out to the garden and cut some of the last remaining blooms. Just look at these gorgeous hydrangeas and pretty lavender colored dahlias. Not exactly the colors of fall, but I sure have enjoyed the brightness and cheer they brought into my home last week. 

My favorite flowers!

These pale lavender zinnias are so delightful! I photographed them looking down on my white kitchen counter and love the effect.

 

My middle son found another old crock at Goodwill and surprised me with it when he visited a couple weeks ago. He gave me the large one on the left last year, the front middle one with the cow is from my mom, and his latest find is on the right. I love how they look grouped together holding some of my houseplants.

My trio of crocks--all gifts!

And here is one last photo to showcase the beauty of fall (which has now almost disappeared with the rain and wind we've had today!). I went out to retrieve the mail from our mailbox on Thursday and as I looked back toward the house, this was the sight... Isn't it a pretty scene with the fluffy fronds of the perennial grasses and the bright orange leaves adorning our maple tree? 

Home sweet home!

It's hard to believe there are only two months left in 2023, isn't it? How I wish time would slow down. The older I get, the quicker the days pass and I often seem to have wasted the day away. Does anyone else do that? I honestly felt that I was much more productive when I worked! I really need to examine my usage of time--maybe 2024 will be the year to remedy that. Thank you so much for your visit today--I truly hope November is a kinder month for all. Bye for now...