Christmas Stitching on Halloween

Happy last day of October--or Happy Halloween if you prefer! How are my blogging friends today? I can hardly believe we are rounding the corner to the final two months of  2018, can you? October has been one tough month around here--I won't sugarcoat it. I just have to hope and pray that November is kinder...

My stitching retreat, two weeks ago, was such fun: stitching, eating, stitching, snacking, stitching, sleeping, stitching... Unfortunately, I had to leave a day early as my niece's baby shower fell on that last day. But, it was still nice to be there for even the short time I had with four long-time stitching friends. We don't have formal exchanges these days like we used to--if someone wants to bring something, that's fine. No one keeps track! I had some extra time to stitch while my mom was in the hospital so I made four little snowflake ornaments--one for each of my friends. Believe me, by the final one, I think I had the chart memorized. It is actually one I had stitched twice before--once for myself and once for a Christmas exchange--so I'm sure many of you recognize it.

A quartet of snowflake ornaments for four good friends

The pattern is a freebie which can be found right here. I also have a link to it in my sidebar under "Favorite Freebies."  These were stitched on 40 ct. white Newcastle using the variegated DMC 115 thread--love the crisp red and white look at Christmas time! The ruched ribbon edging is easy once you get the hang of it...  Google "ruched ribbon tutorial" and you will find some great instructions and videos to help you out. I simply apply it to the perimeter of the circle with a bit of glue on the tip of a toothpick. 

There's just something about red and white!

The problem of how to package my ornaments was made easy when I stumbled upon these red and white polka dot popcorn holders at the local Dollar Tree. Throw in some crimped paper ribbon shreddings and you've got a quick, easy gift box!

All ready for gift-giving!

My stitching friends brought me some goodies, too, as you can see in the photo below. We hope to get back on track and meet up next fall, too. This type of retreat is something that anyone can set up. Many of you told me they've never been to a stitching retreat. Well--why not set up your own? Contact a few friends, rent a house for a few days and let the stitching begin! I am not one for large groups so this smaller set-up suits me perfectly...

Gifts received from stitching friends at our retreat--thank you all!

I don't enjoy shopping, but I do make an exception to visit HomeGoods now and then. I love HomeGoods--you just never know what little gem you'll stumble upon. I recently picked up this "Measure, Make, Create"  Rae Dunn divided dish to use on my crafting table. I love it; it corrals small buttons, trims, and other accents just perfectly when I am finishing an ornament or small pillow. And at the clearance price of $5.00--who could resist?!

A handy little Rae Dunn dish for my craft table

And, I've been meaning to post this sweet little tool set that my daughter-in-law gave me for Mother's Day in May... How pretty are these floral hammer, scissors, and tape measure? I have them where I can quickly grab them--right on top of my craft table at all times...

Some "girl" tools from my dear daughter-in-law!

The handle of the hammer unscrews and is a screwdriver inside! How neat is that? And that hammer came in very handy yesterday as I finally got a 2013 finish all framed up. I use the method outlined here to prepare my stitched piece for framing. The hammer tapped in all those tiny pins while saving my fingers lots of pain in the process! Who remembers this finish of "Halloween Is In the Air?"  Well, as I mentioned...  it's been five years and that poor neglected piece was just waiting and waiting for me to pay it some attention again. Here is the framed finish--isn't it adorable?

Finally framed after five years

Many of you know that Halloween is a hard day for me... My dad passed away four years ago on Halloween and since then I haven't decorated at all. I've stitched a few pieces, but this is the first year I've done anything in the way of decorating. Just this one simple vignette... It's not much, but I'm getting there! Baby steps, right? 

Just look at that moon!

I really love the old-time vintage look of Halloween in this piece--the expressions on the moon's face and the candy corn "flowers" are priceless! I am not a fan of the bright purples and yellows and fluorescent greens that are so popular in modern day Halloween pieces. I much prefer the duller oranges and golds and more muted tones of Halloween decor from the 1930s and 40s. 

A basket of Halloween

GIVEAWAY WINNER... We have a winner! Yes, there were 15 entries for the Seasonal Kitties charts and the winning name drawn from the hat is:  

                                   PATRICIA DEE!!  

The giveaway winner is:  Patricia Dee!

Patricia, please contact me (email is in my "A Bit About Me" profile in the sidebar) and let me know your mailing address. I will get these out to you this week. Congratulations and thank you to all who entered. If you didn't win this time--watch this space. There will be future giveaways!

The synagogue shooting in my city of Pittsburgh has been simply heartbreaking and so horrific for the families of those killed, for the Jewish community, for western Pennsylvania, for the United States, and for the entire world, really. We, here in Pittsburgh, have always felt a bit sheltered from "bad things." We get few natural disasters like hurricanes or wildfires or tornadoes. Our cost of living is low and we are lucky enough to have excellent educational, healthcare, and technology systems in place. Now we are on an evergrowing list of "those" places--Littleton, Sandy Hook, Virginia Tech, Charleston, Las Vegas, Paris, and way too many others. You always think, "It can't happen here." But, you're wrong--it can happen anywhere, at any time, and your city or town will be forever changed. My thoughts and prayers go out to each and every family touched by this senseless act.

What I've been so proud to see during all of the news coverage of the tragedy are the many comments by outsiders and reporters of what a strong, resilient, and caring group of people make up the Pittsburgh area. We are a hard-working, friendly, "get right-back-on-your-feet" type and this will be evident in the days and years to come. I wasn't born in Pittsburgh, but I've lived here for the past 41 years--2/3 of my life. And I'm so proud to call this city my home... 

As wonderful as Pittsburgh normally is, it's not known for an abundance of sunshine! In fact this list shows that it is the 11th least sunny city in the United States--right after Seattle... And it's particularly hard in the fall and winter months when the weather turns too cold to spend time outside. I've known that I'm prone to seasonal sadness and have finally decided to purchase one of those special lamps to use that mimic the sunlight and help battle depression during the winter months. Have any of you purchased one that you can recommend? I'm thinking about this one as it has excellent reviews and looks to be very portable and small. But, I'd love to have your input!

So, as I said--October... sigh. A tough one! My mom has been in and out of the hospital twice and I have been driving back and forth to New York to be with her. Hopefully, things are resolved for now--thank you all for your kind thoughts and prayers for her health. They meant so much to us! 

The beautiful fall colors that brighten my yard

I also want to thank you for your kind, thoughtful comments and emails. I wish I could reply to each of you directly, but many of you are "no-reply" bloggers--and it seems that more and more of you are ending up in that category, sadly. For those of you who still take the time to read and comment, I so appreciate it! I was just checking my blog statistics and the number of views of each of my 2018 posts is about half of what they were last year. That really makes me sad and makes me wonder if blogging truly is a dying art. But, I'll keep plugging away for a while! Enjoy your November, everyone--may it be a kind month filled with the spirit of Thanksgiving. Bye for now...

A month of travel, illness, and visitors (but not much stitching!)

Hello, everyone!  Amazingly, I'm actually posting for a second time this month!   I've been very out of touch over the course of this busy, busy month. I hope you are all well and I truly will do my best to catch up on your blogs next week. I usually stitch every day, but there were quite a few days this month where I just wasn't able to. In mid-May we flew to Florida for my mother-in-law's 90th birthday which was lovely. Not so lovely, was the fact that I must have picked up some very bad virus on the flight home as I became sick with the flu--sicker than I have been in years. It has been two weeks and my voice is just now getting back to normal! Luckily, I recovered  in time for my sister and brother-in-law to visit over the long Memorial Day weekend. And then tomorrow, I am driving up to New York to spend a few days with mom. Whew! June is looking a bit calmer--at least at this point...

After much encouragement from all of you (and many fellow Instagram stitchers), I have decided to go ahead and stitch more little pillows with a bee theme. My latest bee pillow is from Prairie Schooler Book No. 104: G*H*I which is one of the alphabet charts. If you've stitched this one yourself, you'll notice I made a few changes: I stitched pinker flowers, changed the background of the bee square to green, and the main change: I substituted the word "Honeybee" for Honey.

"H Is For Honeybee!"

"H Is For Honeybee" is stitched 'over one' on 28 ct. mushroom Lugana to make it small enough for a little pillow. The finished size of the stitching is just 2.5 X 3.5 inches. I kept the finish fairly simple because there is a lot going on in this design... just added some green cording and a green checked bow. What do you think?

A new finish for my "bee bowl"

Here is a close-up of the bee and words (which would make a nice little pillow all on its own!).

I changed the word "honey" to "honeybee"

I did manage to get my Christmas ornament for May finished up (but, only because I had stitched it last month!). This is my latest finish in Little House Needleworks' Hometown Holidays series and it is called "Main Street Station." If you've been following my blog for a while, you'll know that I am stitching each little building or scene 'over one' on 28 ct. black Monaco which leads to a very small finish. 

Little House Needleworks "Main Street Station"

And, yes... there are more color changes which I specifically chose to complement the grey wool flannel fabric that I had selected to use on the bottom of it.  I'm very happy with the final look--and I truly love how the snowflakes are popping on the black fabric.  

My ornament finish for May

Here are the three in the series that I have stitched so far:  Needlework Shop, Tree Lot, and Main Street Station. I have at least fifteen more to go! But, I am not pressuring myself to stitch them all this year.

Three done--lots more to stitch!

In other stitching news, I received a couple of sweet gifts from fellow bloggers! From Stasi at Bee-mused and Bee-stitching (who may just be the ultimate bee stitcher!), I received a quartet of darling bee charts. Wasn't that thoughtful of her? Thank you so much, Stasi--I really look forward to stitching them as I add to my "bee bowl" this summer!

Wonderful bee charts from Stasi

And all the way from Australia, came this cute gift from Kaye at Kitten Stitching. I had lent Kaye a chart and when she returned it, I found this cute pillow topper in fun pink and black. I just need to find a small pillow insert and then tie the black ribbons around it to display it. Thank you so much, Kaye--that was so very sweet of you!

A cute pillow topper from Kaye in Australia

Giveaway winner... There were a number of you who entered the giveaway for the Theresa Wentzler birdhouse chart so I picked a name out of the hat and the winner is...

MARTINA from Germany

Congratulations, Martina! Please send me your mailing address and I will send you the chart as soon as I can. And for those of you who didn't win this time--please keep an eye on this spot. More charts will be given away in the future!

Martina--you are the winner!

The merry, merry month of May...  So, that ends my stitching news for May, but I'd like to share a few more photos of the fun things I did this month and of our garden visitors.

Scenes from my Mother-In-Law's 90th birthday in Naples, Florida. I basically used the same color scheme and decorating ideas as I used for my own mom's 90th birthday party last May!

When my sister and brother-in-law visited from Boston, we hiked at McConnell's Mills State Park just north of us. Such a beautiful day with equally beautiful scenery!

And my husband and I gave them a tour of beautiful downtown Pittsburgh... Clockwise from top left are... The Duquesne Incline, PPG Place, The Pennsylvanian, and me and my husband with everyone's favorite neighbor, Mr. Rogers!

A new-to-me visitor: The Red-Bellied Woodpecker!

And a brilliant Blue Jay who really is way too big for this suet feeder!

I want to extend a warm welcome to all of my new followers (especially Pam, who I was lucky enough to meet when I sat next to her on my flight down to Florida--she was a cross-stitcher/knitter! What are the chances of that!). Thank you all for you wonderful comments on my stitching and my house in my last post--you are so kind! I'm truly thankful for this wonderful community of cross-stitchers--aren't we the lucky ones? Happy June to you all! Bye for now...

Cute, Cuter, Cutest!

Hello, my stitching friends! Hope you are enjoying the month of June and the start of  summer. The past two weeks have proven to be busy ones around here with a whirlwind trip to Asheville, NC last weekend for a family wedding. Nine hours driving down on Friday and nine hours back on Sunday is not my idea of a fun time, but it was so nice to see relatives we hadn't seen in a while and catch up on all the family news. You know what the worst part of the trip was? I forgot to pack my stitching!! Can you believe it? I felt as if I were missing an arm or a leg or something. Just think of all those hours in the car that I could have spent stitching an ornament or two... I think I need to keep a small chart all kitted up and ready to go right in my suitcase to avoid any further "forgetful moments," don't you?

I do have a couple of cute finishes to share with you and then something even cuter that you might enjoy seeing later on in this post.

THE CUTE:  My sweet friend in England, June, celebrated a birthday this month (hmmm... I wonder how she got her name?!) and I wanted to send her a little remembrance When I saw this CCN design, "Rose Cottage," I knew it was the ideal thing to stitch for June who is an avid gardener. If you haven't visited her blog, please pay her a visit--her flowers are as beautiful as her stitching. I stitched this piece "over one" on 28 ct. white evenweave with a variety of overdyeds and DMC. I didn't have the suggested overdyed threads so I just went with something similar. As luck would have it, the colors I ended up choosing coordinated perfectly with the cute polka dot fabric that I backed the little pillow with! The saying on the little pillow, "Home is where your flowers grow" is perfectly fitting for June. I'm so pleased she liked my little gift...

Country Cottage Needleworks' "Rose Cottage"

THE CUTER:  My other finish is my Christmas ornament for May (yes, I'm behind again on my monthly ornament stitching, but will definitely catch up by the end of the month!). Most of you will recognize this LHN design as "Baked Goods." If you've been following my blog for a while now, you know that my other big passion, along with stitching and reading, is baking. I am the family baker for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and any other get-together. Now that my sons have grown and gone, I don't bake nearly as much as I did when they were home. I miss it so much, but I know I would double my weight if I kept on baking like I used to! Cookies were always my favorite thing to bake followed by muffins and breads. I only baked cakes for birthdays and pies were reserved for holidays or special occasions. But, it was a rare day that I sent my sons to school with anything other than homemade cookies in their lunch bags!

 "Baked Goods" by Little House Needleworks

This one was such fun to stitch! There was only one problem--it made me crave that chocolate cupcake in the lower right corner! Doesn't that look scrumptious with the chocolate sprinkles and cherry on top? I stitched this one on 35 ct. natural Northern cross linen--one of my favorite fabrics because white shows up so well on it. I did make a few color changes as I wanted the red to coordinate better with the shade of red in the cute gingerbread fabric that I backed it with. I kept the finish fairly simple due to this being quite a "busy" design and topped it with a white bow and a gingerbread girl charm which I glued on to a red button. What do you think?

"Baked Goods" finish

THE CUTEST:  Well, I have to admit to falling in love with something other than my cross stitch finishes lately. My husband and his co-workers were recently offered a behind-the-scenes tour of The Pittsburgh Zoo  and spouses were invited. I didn't know what to expect, but I never expected to get so up close and personal with the most adorable baby animals I've ever seen... Not only did I see these sweet young things, but I also got to feed a giraffe and I got kissed by a sea lion--yes, kissed!!! It was such fun and the weather couldn't have been more perfect. After our tour we were treated to dinner right there at the zoo (they have their own chef) and everything was delectable.

Are you ready for the tour? I'll start with the California Sea Lions... They are such joyful animals to watch as they jump and flip and splash their way through life! We each got a chance to be kissed by one if we wanted to. Of course I said, "Yes!!" 

 Such a sweet face on this Sea Lion

Isn't he comical with his hair spiked?

Show off!!

This little guy stole our hearts and was an animal most of us had never seen--or even heard of: the Red Panda. They resemble a cross between a raccoon, a cat, and a small bear. Red Pandas eat mostly bamboo and other leafy plants and are about the size of a house cat--too cute!

The Red Panda at the Pittsburgh Zoo

I got to feed this little guy some grapes! 

Next up, were the tallest land mammals on earth: the Masai Giraffes. Only one of them was brave enough to come to the gate, but I got to fee him carrots and even pet his face a bit. I never dreamed I would pet a giraffe!

How's the air up there, big guy?

OK--I'll admit this next animal does not exactly fall under the "cute" category, does she? But, the "baby" Black Rhino, who already weighs 600 pounds, was still so precious cuddling up to her huge 3,200 pound mother! There are only about 4,500 Black Rhinos remaining in the wild. 

Such huge beasts!

I could have fed her a banana, but declined! 

What would you have done?

On to something a lot prettier: the flamingos. We weren't able to get up close to them, but I couldn't resist photographing these delicate pink birds...

Love their reflections in the water

I've saved the two most adorable animals for last... Just look at this Amur Tiger Cub born in late March 2013! The zookeeper said he is the most valuable tiger in the United States right now--he was born to a pair of tigers borrowed from Russia and currently weighs about 25 pounds. We weren't able to touch him, but were within three feet of him.

Notice the protective gloves on the zookeeper.

Even at this young age, the tiger is very strong.

Just look at his beautiful little face!

My favorite baby animal of all was the most human-like: the Western Lowland Gorilla. This little one, born just seven weeks ago, was  incredible. He had to be removed from his mother, Moka, who developed a breast infection and wasn't able to nurse him. So, he is currently being raised by humans and seems to be thriving. He'll be reintegrated with his gorilla family after he begins eating solid foods.

OK--admit it! Didn't you all just say "Awww..."

when you glanced at his dear little face?

Mr. Tough Guy!

The keepers wear protective gloves and

masks to keep him safe from human disease.

All tuckered out--time for bed, little fellow...

Did you enjoy your visit to the zoo today? I was delighted with how close I was able to get to these beautiful animals--it was an experience I'll never forget...

The birthday that just keeps going and going... My last bit of stitching related news is to thank my sweet friend, Shirlee, for a belated birthday gift. My birthday was five months ago, but that doesn't matter--I'd love to see it keep going all year! Shirlee gifted me with this cute Bent Creek Zipper Kit called "Nativity Globe" that contained the chart, some lovely blue linen, and all of the threads and charms needed to finish it. This particular kit calls for stitching with pearl cotton which I've never used before so it will be fun to give it a try. Thank you so very much, dear Shirlee--your gift made me smile. And, hey, maybe I can just keep celebrating my 58th birthday forever!

 Belated birthday gift from Shirlee!

Well, that's about it for today... I have begun a couple of patriotic pieces which I hope to show you next time. Until then, happy stitching to each of you and thank you, as always, for your kind comments and emails--they always brighten my day. I want to wish a warm welcome to my new followers as well. I can't believe over 1100 of you find my little blog entertaining enough to follow. I so appreciate each of you!  It has been a wonderful experience "meeting" so many of you from all around the world--we are very lucky to share a common passion that draws us together like stitching does, aren't we? Bye for now...

Valentine Freebie Finishes

Good morning, my stitching friends! And how is February treating you so far? I know you'll all be envious when I tell you what my husband brought me back from his recent Florida trip. Why, he so generously gifted me with a lovely, lovely... C-O-L-D! Yes, after two years of being cold-free, I've been down for the count for the past five days. Luckily, from what I hear, it is on the mild side as colds have been going this winter, so I really can't complain. In the past 17 years, I have used only one sick day from work so I'm usually quite healthy, thank goodness. I am still hoping that nasty flu doesn't appear on our doorstep, though! Has anyone remained cold or flu-free this winter? It seems like almost every one of you has come down with one or the other!

I needed some bright colors after all the white and gray our winter has brought this season so I've been working on a few cheery little Valentine finishes--and guess what? All of them are freebies! I am always so grateful to the talented cross stitch designers out there who share their creativity with us in the form of freebies, aren't you? It is a wonderful way to introduce us to their larger designs, too.

When I first saw this love-letter carrying little bird, I fell in love with him! He is a freebie designed by the very creative Luli which you can find right here. He is part of a larger design of four birds, but you know me and my love of smalls--I decided to stitch him all by himself. He just looks so sweet flying his Valentine to someone's true love, doesn't he? This design is stitched on 40 ct. pearl gray Newcastle with a variety of overdyeds and is finished with some white satin ruched ribbon and pearly white pins. I slightly changed the bird's body and then added the three little red hearts in the front. Every time I look at him, I just want to say--you are SO cute (well, actually, I do say that!).

 Luli's "Love" freebie

When I showed my husband my little bird carrying the love letter, he asked if it was for him and I was so surprised! I never dreamed that he would want anything stitched by me. But then I thought, well, why not? After all, if I gave him something stitched by me it would be a permanent Valentine rather than just an overly expensive greeting card that would eventually end up stashed in a drawer somewhere. So I set out to find the perfect thing and when I saw this little freebie by Cathy Habermann, I knew it was ideal. It stitched up fairly quickly and so I decided to embellish the finish and make it even more special.

"Love You More" freebie

The red and white fabric is definitely vintage--at least 40+ years old. If you wonder how I know that, it's because this is a scrap of fabric that I had saved from my sewing days in high school. Yes, I had made a top for myself (probably a peasant-style blouse which was very much "in-style" back then or it could have been a halter top--remember those anyone?!) Before you laugh--remember that this was back in the late '60s/early '70s when everything was about hearts and flowers, peace and love. That's what makes this so special;  it was something that was around when I first met my husband at the tender age of 19. I wish you could see (and feel!) the fabric in person because it is covered with red flocked hearts and flowers--so very cute! I jazzed it up with a bit of black fabric, brass heart charm, and black handmade cording. Do you think he will like it?

"Love You More" freebie

I've been asked many times how I come up with the combinations of fabrics and trims that I use in my little pillows... Well, the first step is to pull everything from drawers and cupboards in the colors used in a design and then begin eliminating things. Sometimes a print is too large or too small or the colors just aren't quite right so they are put away. Sometimes an idea I had in mind gets totally put aside when I hold up another fabric or trim and--wow--I know immediately, that that is the way I now want to go.  I found another very quick-to-stitch freebie at the Sub Rosa blog and after looking through my piles of fabrics and trims, I decided that these were the ones I wanted to use...

"True Love" freebie

Rather than stitching the design all in red as was charted, I added some color in the form of green leaves and gray birds. I also changed the four lower hearts to a checkerboard design and eliminated the words "True Love." The next step involves layering and configuring the fabrics differently to get a pleasing look. I just place them alongside my design in different combinations until I find a design that makes me smile. Would you like to see how this one ended up? Well, here it is--a bright, cheery spot of mid-winter color...

"True Love" freebie

So, now I have three quick, new smalls for my bowl of February finishes. None of them took more than a few hours to stitch and then a couple more hours to pull together for a finish.  I've also been working on a larger (for me!) piece which I hope to have finished or my next post.

I want to thank two very thoughtful blogging friends for their recent treats.  From my dear friend, Lois, came these wonderful birthday gifts. I just love the little blue scissor fob she made for me--it is so beautifully stitched and finished. And, of course, the delicious chocolate is already half-eaten. Lois also tucked in a pretty Brightneedle chart called "Something Blue," some flowery buttons, and a lovely calendar from Northern Ireland. Judging from the photos in the calendar, I've just added a new place to my "must-visit" list--the scenery from Northern Ireland looks spectacular! Thank you, Lois, for extending my birthday a bit longer and for your very special gifts and friendship...

Birthday gifts from Lois!

And from my sweet friend, Myra, came this adorable heart-shaped mug mat! I fear that it is much too pretty to use as a mug-mat, Myra, and I may use it as a candle mat in front of my February bowl of smalls. Myra's work is just wonderful and if you haven't visited her blog, run on over--you're in for a treat. Thanks so very much, my friend--your gift came on a day when I wasn't feeling my best and it certainly gave me a nice boost!

Valentine Gift from Myra!

Do you have any special plans for Valentine's Day? I'll be up in New York visiting my parents (my first two true loves!), but this time my dear husband will be making the five-hour drive with me, so that will make it special. (However, I'm still hoping for a nice box of chocolates from him--hint, hint!!). Anyway, I wish you all a happy week ahead--my thoughts are with all of you in the New England area--sure hope your power returns soon and that you can dig out from all of that snow that winter storm Nemo dropped on you.

Before I forget, here is one new honor for my city of Pittsburgh just in time for Valentine's Day... It was recently chosen by Forbes Magazine as one of the 10 Unexpectedly Romantic Cities in the entire world. Yes, the world--not just the United States!! Who knew? The link to the article and the list of the other nine cities is here. Is your city on it, too? Pittsburgh has come a long, long way from its old steel industry days--it has really blossomed as you can see in this photo.

 The city of Pittsburgh

Thanks so much for visiting me this week. Oh, one last thing--I noticed that my last post pushed my follower numbers up to (gulp!!) 1000+!!! Amazing and humbling that so many of you find my little blog interesting enough to read--truly. I think a giveaway is in order, don't you? Give me a few weeks to think of what to offer as I have a very busy two weeks coming up at work. Thank you all again for your wonderful comments, emails, and most of all--thank you for your friendships. Bye for now...

Happy Valentine's Day 

to my dear stitching friends!