To the ends of the earth...

I'm back! Did you miss me? I sure missed all of you, but I tried to peek in at your blogs from time to time while traveling the 13,980 miles to and from the very tip of South America. At times, it hardly seems real that we were actually way, way down there! I've outlined our flight path in blue on the map below so you can see the breakdown of our trip: Pittsburgh to Atlanta (521 miles), Atlanta to Buenos Aires (4,995 miles), Buenos Aires to Ushuaia in Tierra del Fuego (1,474 miles)... and then back again! 

It was so great to see my youngest son conversing like a native with the cab drivers and waiters in Argentina--that's what immersing yourself in a foreign country can do in just a short time. It honestly would have been hard to navigate the country without him by our sides as very few people spoke English and our knowledge of Spanish is elementary to say the least! We hiked and canoed in that pristine Patagonian wilderness, visited historic sights in Buenos Aires, and smiled at the thousands of penguins on Martillo Island. Many of you have asked for photos and I can't wait to share them with you. That will have to wait a bit, though, until I've had time to organize and edit them and that "free time" won't come until after Christmas.

13,980 miles to Tierra del Fuego--and back again!

So, for now, you'll have to be satisfied with seeing my final two monthly ornament finishes for 2015. I actually finished both of these in November before we headed off to South America as I knew I would have no time when I returned. It was a bit of a culture shock when we stepped off the plane here in Pittsburgh and were greeted by signs of Christmas everywhere. You see, both in Buenos Aires and Ushuaia there were no overt signs of the approaching holiday other than a few small displays in store windows. So very different than here in the U.S. where you are bombarded with it at every turn! I'll have to say, it was much more relaxing down there. As soon as I returned, I felt my stress level quickly creeping up with all the thoughts of things that probably won't get done this Christmas season. Oh well... there is always next year, right?

Anyway, my ornament for November is this cute chickadee couple from the "Prairie Birds" (book no. 24) Prairie School design. I stitched it on 40 ct. gray Newcastle with the suggested DMC threads and finished it as a flat ornament with black gingham fabric and DMC 355 handmade cording. The ornament's hanger is a piece of the same frayed gingham fabric. I simply backed the finish with a piece of coordinating felt--very easy!

"Prairie Birds" (Prairie Schooler Book No. 24) finish

The final ornament of the year comes from Homespun Elegance and was actually stitched at my stitching retreat in October. It can be found in the old "Cinnamon Stick Christmas V" booklet along with many other darling designs. I've always loved the sentiment on this one and think it turned out so cute. I did change a few of the colors and eliminated a larger charted border to shrink it down to "ornament size."  I stitched this piece "over one" on 28 ct. tea-dyed Monaco and dressed it up with some candy cane striped fabric, green cording, and a tiny brass heart to echo the stitched words. What do you think?

Homespun Elegance "Cinnamon Stick Christmas V" finish

Beautiful RAK from Andrea... Many of you are familiar with Andrea's lovely blog, The Craft Room, but just in case you're not--head on over there! You are in for a real treat! Each year Andrea creates and mails out some stunning ornaments as RAKs for her regular readers and commenters and, this year, I was one of the lucky winners. I honestly have never seen such perfect finishing--I fell in love with this sweet Homespun  Elegance ornament that she sent my way as soon as I opened the package. Thank you so very much, Andrea--it will truly be treasured for years to come!

Lovely RAK from Andrea!

In addition to our trip, we have had some other big events in our family. Just this afternoon, my oldest son's girlfriend successfully defended her doctoral thesis in cellular biology--she is now a PhD! I attended her presentation and have to admit, I understood none of it--I felt really uneducated! Science was never my strong suit, though, and as my oldest son told me--"We all have our strengths." I'll bet none of those scientists in that room could stitch and finish an ornament like I can--ha ha!! Anyway, we are very proud of her and wish her every success in her career...

And last week, my middle son celebrated a milestone birthday--he turned 30!! To have two of my three sons in their 30s now is really making me feel old. This giant chocolate eclair dessert has been his annual birthday request since he was a young boy and I'm proud to still be making it for him each year.  It's a combination of a puffy bottom crust, an inner layer of cream cheese, French vanilla pudding, and milk, a top layer of Cool Whip, and some final swirls of chocolate, butter, and powdered sugar. It really does taste just like a chocolate eclair!

Giant Chocolate Eclair Dessert for the birthday "boy"

As I mentioned earlier, I fear that Christmas is getting the best of me this year... To those of  you who I exchange presents with--please forgive me as yours will, most likely, be late this year. Being away for 10 days in late November/early December has just put me so far behind. I'm also working more hours at the library to compensate for being away, too... Sigh...  Oh well, I will leave you with a sneak peak of our great South American adventure photos. This was the view at sunset from our hotel room in Tierra del Fuego, Patagonia. Yes, my stress level was non-existent down there, as you can imagine!! Just gazing out at the tranquil waters surrounded by those snow-covered mountain peaks instantly calmed me down--ahhhh.... I never, ever dreamed that I would some day be at the very tip of South America--and if it weren't for my son studying in Argentina this semester, that would never have happened. Oh, the places your kids can take you!

Sunset Over the Beagle Channel, November 23, 2015           Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina

I'm heading up to New York to visit mom tomorrow and can't wait as it's been nearly three months since I've seen her. Hopefully, I can just relax a bit while writing out Christmas cards and trying to finish up a few ornaments for gifts. I am trying my best not to stress out and keep telling myself that it's okay if everything doesn't get done this year... Just breathe, Carol... breathe.

I hope to be back next week with my annual "Parade of Ornaments"--can hardly wait to show you the 12 little ornaments that I've created this year adorning my stairway garland. Until then, thank you all for your wonderful and thoughtful comments--each one is like a little gift and I am so appreciative of the time you take to write them! Bye for now...

As the year winds down...

I want to thank each of you for your kind words throughout 2014; all the comments, emails, gifts, and support have helped make a somewhat difficult year, much easier. There has been a change in the blogging world over the past year and I'm sure all of you have noticed it, too. So many long-time bloggers have left this format to share their works through Facebook and Instagram and it has definitely made a difference in our little community. There seem to be fewer visits to our blogs, fewer comments, and a general feeling like people are slowly drifting away from blogging. For me, that's sad... The truth is, blogging does take a lot of time, but I love the feeling of permanency that I feel is lacking in the other venues. I love being able to scroll down through my blog and see all of my finishes and read about the exact fabric and fibers that I used ever since I wrote my first post almost seven years ago. I love, most of all, the personal connections that have come my way through blogging. I'm not sure they would have occurred in other forms of social media--I seriously doubt it. So, thank you for being here and still reading my way too long posts and leaving those wonderful comments. I truly appreciate you hanging in there with me even though I have only posted 23 times this year...

Christmas goodies...  The biggest present I received for Christmas came in the form of two beautiful Amish-made corner cupboards for my kitchen. I've wanted these for the longest time, but it took a while to find some that would fit the dimensions of our kitchen and blend well with our existing table and chairs. I was thrilled to find two pretty pine corner cupboards online and they were delivered shortly before Christmas.  Right now, we only have one in the kitchen because my snowman tree occupies the other corner. I've temporarily located the other in our bedroom and really like it there so who knows if it will be making its way down to the kitchen at all! What fun I'm going to have decorating them with each season...

A corner cupboard for Christmas!

Here is a closer look--I can just imagine lots of my cross-stitched pillows scattered across the shelves, can't you?

Gifts in the mail... My mailman was kept very busy this month delivering some wonderful gifts from around the world which I'd like to share with you...

From Lois, in Northern Ireland, came a darling ornament, some pretty Christmas ribbons and napkins, and a lovely BBD chart. I know I'll be stitching it very soon... Thanks so much, Lois--I love your gifts and our friendship so very much!

Christmas gifts from Lois ~ 2014

From Cindy, in Tennessee, came another box of goodies. She sent a pretty Lizzie Kate "Love" pillow for my bowl of February pillows, a cheery pair of Christmas socks, some sunflower stickers, and an adorable bunny plate (she knows I'm a bunny lover!).  Thanks so much, Cindy, you are always so sweet to remember me at Christmas time with such lovely gifts!

Christmas gifts from Cindy ~ 2014

From Myra, in North Carolina, came the tiniest little bird pincushion--so adorable. Myra knows how much I love small things and she even included a miniature bird house in which the petite bird was perched when it arrived. She also spoiled me with a Moda Merriment charm pack, which will definitely come in handy for my finishing, as well as some tasty glazed pecans and hot apple cider spice blend. Thank you so much, Myra--I just love my goodies from you!

Christmas gifts from Myra ~ 2014

From a new friend, Nathalie (no blog) in France, came an assortment of French chocolates (which my husband and sons just about devoured!) and two cute ornaments to add to my tree. Thanks so much, Nathalie, it's been fun getting to know you this year!

Christmas gifts from Nathalie ~ 2014

From Gabi (no blog) in Germany, came two sweet ornaments for my tree. Isn't that little mouse with the Santa hat just adorable? Love the little bell on it, too... Thanks so very much for your lovely gifts, Gabi, and for your kind comments you leave on my blog throughout the year!

Christmas gifts from Gabi ~ 2014

From Anne, in Canada, came a beautifully crocheted snowflake. I just love the burgundy color of it and really do need to teach myself how to make these some day soon! Thanks so much for thinking of me at Christmas, Anne!

Christmas gift from Anne ~ 2014

From Robin (no blog) in Virginia, came a sweet "C" monogrammed ornament for my tree and a wonderful array of finishing trims. I love receiving fabrics and trims to use in my own finishing so this was a real treat, Robin--thank you so much!

Christmas gifts from Robin ~ 2014

From June, in England, came a beautiful package of ornaments and trims and buttons to use in my finishing. I had admired the smiling gingerbread boy on June's blog and was so tickled to receive one of my own! And the little scissor fob (along with my first pair of blue scissors) is so beautifully stitched and finished. Thank you so much, June--you always manage to make me feel special when you spoil me each Christmas!

Christmas gifts from June ~ 2014

From Shirlee, in Kentucky, came another beautifully stitched and finished blue and white ornament. I hadn't seen this design before and I love the way it spells out "Glory to God" amidst the alphabet... Thank you so much, Shirlee--I love it!

Christmas gift from Shirlee ~ 2014

From another relatively new friend, Lynda (no blog) in England came this pretty heart shaped ornament along with a lovely stitched card. I'm not sure who the designer of the ornament is, but I love it--such a cheerful looking gift. Thank you very much for your lovely gifts, Lynda--I've so enjoyed our emails this year!

Christmas gifts from Lynda ~ 2014

And finally, from Tricia, in Wisconsin, came a wonderful RAK--a package of her beautifully crafted handmade greeting cards. Tricia had offered to let me borrow one of her charts and surprised me by including her lovely cards as a little gift. I have always been in awe of Tricia's adorable and perfectly crafted little paper creations... You can check out more of her darling designs on her card-making blog right here. Thank you so very much, Tricia--I will save them to send to some very special people!

RAK from Tricia--December 2014

I sent out some Christmas ornaments, too, but will save them for my next post...

The $10.00 Challenge... Many of you asked what my sons ended up giving each other in their second annual "$10.00 Challenge," so I thought I would share a photo of their gifts. (Unfortunately, one gift never arrived from the vendor so there are only five pictured). Clockwise, from the top left, we have the game "Appleletters" (a relative of Bananagrams), a cacti dish garden, a book (which my youngest son cheated on and spent a bit more than $10 so he jokingly told us he had to rip out the last two chapters to make it fair!), a 19-in-1 keychain full of little tools, and a can of kinetic sand. Never heard of kinetic sand? I hadn't either, but here is a short video about it. We all really enjoyed seeing what the guys came up with for each other--I hope they do it again next year.

$10.00 Challenge gifts ~ 2014

A little gift idea... My youngest son is the only one who doesn't live nearby so he didn't want any big gifts to have to transport back to Washington, DC. One of the requests on his gift list was some plants for his office at the Department of Justice. Rather than just handing him the cash to buy them, I came up with this cute idea--a little forest of money trees made from $20.00 bills. To make the little "trees," I used this video on YouTube and, although they're not perfect, for my first attempt, I thought they turned out quite well. I then added a large gold star, some snowflakes, a fawn and cardinal, and a grinning snowman with a gift message (using the Publisher program on my computer) for a fun and easy gift. My son loved it and I know I'll be doing this for future money gifts...

Origami forest gift

Talk, talk, talk... Do you remember the conversation starter jar that I showed you in this post? Well, I decided to make a Christmas version of it for our Christmas Eve dinner. We had such fun with it and the guys wanted to do it again the next evening so they came up with even more questions. The questions ranged from the serious ("What is your favorite Christmas carol?" to the silly "Who is your favorite reindeer?"). I even included, "What is something you like about the person to your right / left" which one of my sons promptly changed to read "What is something you dislike about the person to your right!" Honestly--those guys!!

But, my favorite question, and one that I like to ask myself as each year comes to an end is, "What is your happiest memory of the past year?" Their responses all made me smile and imagine my sons in those situations: the day the youngest reunited with his girlfriend after a four-month break-up, the afternoon my middle son spent snorkeling in Japan with his girlfriend in July, the mini-reunion weekend my oldest son spent with seven friends from college at a lake in Virginia ... Although I wasn't there for any of those experiences, I could honestly feel their happiness...  My husband said his happiest memory was seeing how well I handled my father's death--he was so worried about me and was very proud of how well I held up at the funeral and afterward. And what was my happiest memory? Well, ironically, it took place on one of the saddest days of the year and that was at Dad's funeral in November.  It was the moment I looked around and found myself surrounded by the four men in my life and I just felt such complete pride and happiness that they were there for me--to support and care for and love me. I felt so very blessed and loved in that moment--and so, so happy!  How about you--I'd love to hear your happiest memory of 2014...

So, that's it for this year! I usually look forward to the quiet and peace that January brings along with my birthday in two weeks, but I have to admit that this is a birthday I'm dreading... I'll be 60 and, to me, that is the real start of getting "old." At least I'll have the many senior citizen discounts to look forward to--I do love a good bargain!  Anyway, as my husband always reminds me, "Getting older is better than the alternative." I want to wish each of you every happiness in 2015! Thank you again for being such true friends! Bye for now...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

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...

Four Weeks?

Has it really been four weeks since my last post? I hope April has been a good month for each of you. It's been a busy one for me with a trip to Florida and then having my entire family here for Easter weekend.  And, oh yes, there were those couple of weeks in between where I just lost my blogging mojo for a bit. But, I'm back with a few things to share with you. First of all, I want to welcome my new followers--I'm always amazed when I glance at my sidebar and see that there are close to 1300 friends reading "Stitching Dreams" from all around the world. Who would ever have thought this little blog would have grown the way it has over the past five years? And you know what... without all of your kind comments, supportive emails, and the inspiration that you share on your own blogs, it never would have. Thank you all!

I'd fully intended to share this first finish with you before Easter, but I got so very busy cooking and baking for the weekend, that I just couldn't seem to sit still long enough to finish it off into a little pillow. This sweet piece is a Homespun Elegance Design called "Delivering Spring Blossoms" and is stitched on 40 ct. flax Newcastle linen with most of the suggested overdyed threads. I did have to change the colors of the pink flowers to GAST Antique Rose and the color of the cart to GAST Harvest Basket since I didn't have the suggested threads in my stash. I also changed the color of the bunnies' tails to ecru rather than leaving them brown as was charted.

Like many of you, I struggle with stitching French knots, so I used Colonial knots to make the little posies that each bunny is holding and for the flower in the basket. I found a very helpful video tutorial right here and I'm quite happy with the result. You'll notice the little satin stitched mounds of "grass," too--I think that really gives a nice texture to the design. The pillow is finished with the green fabric shown in the background and I simply used two old shirt buttons to act as wheels for the cart. I wonder who the bunnies are delivering their spring blossoms to? Maybe a loving, old grandmother bunny? Or perhaps a sick neighbor? They just look so cute and intent on their mission, don't they?

My other two finishes were both sent off as gifts. The first went to my sweet friend, Nia, in Portugal who just had a beautiful, bouncing, baby boy in March. I wanted to make him his very first Christmas ornament so I stitched this JBW gingerbread man from the "Baby's First Christmas" booklet. This one is stitched on 32 ct. black Belfast linen and is backed with the cheery, red gingerbread boy fabric shown in the photo. On the chart, there is just an outline of the gingerbread boy, but I filled him in with brown, added beads to the holly in his hat, a white pompom to his hat, and changed the face a bit. I also added the baby's name rather than the charted words "Baby's First Christmas." I struggled with how to stitch the little "tail" under the "c" in Lourenço, as we don't have anything like that in English, but Nia said it looks just fine... I hope my small remembrance brings little Lourenço smiles each Christmas for years to come!

And another RAK was stitched and sent to my blogging friend, Vickie in Wisconsin. This time, "Hope" by Little House Needleworks was my choice. I do love stitching these little sheep and so far have sent both Peace and Love off to stitching friends. I chose "Hope" for Vickie as I truly hope the day comes when she can live a pain free life. I just love the snowflake in this one and thought it had a very wintry feel to it, so I also included a bit of cording that Vickie can pin onto the back to make a loop so she can use it as a Christmas ornament rather than a pillow if she chooses. Like my other two LHN Little Sheep Virtues, this one is stitched on 40 ct. pearl gray (even though it looks blue in the photo!) Newcastle linen and backed with that soft, leafy green fabric shown in the background.

Would you like to see some of my Florida photos? Honestly, we couldn't have asked for nicer weather! Sunny and warm with bright blue skies and temperatures in the low 80s each and every day... can you say paradise? After that brutal winter of ours, it was more welcome than ever. My husband's parents, whom we visited, live in Naples and for any of you who have ever visited, you know what a fabulous part of Florida that is...

Relaxing, quiet, sandy beaches...

especially after the "snowbirds" have gone back north!

 

Fabulous flowers...

Stunning houses...

And more lovely mansions...

imagine driving under that floral arch each day!

Comical wildlife...

I don't think these birds can read the sign!

Ready for his close-up

Delicate birds

And a close-up...

a kind fisherman offered to lure

this pretty bird closer with a bit of his bait

Peaceful scenes...

morning at the Naples City Dock

And stunning sunsets...

evening at Naples beach

As lovely as those sunny days were, I was happy to get home again--I am such a homebody and just feel this immediate sense of peace when I walk through my own door again. How about you? After about five days away, I just get this sense that I want to be home again...

I was so excited when my youngest son told us he and his girlfriend would be joining us for Easter weekend! Since he lives in Washington, DC, he is never around for our weekly Sunday dinners like our other two sons are so I tend to "over-do" it a bit when he does come home with an abundance of cooking and baking. In addition to Key Lime Pie, Banana Carrot Muffins, and Chocolate Raspberry Brownies, I baked a new cookie that the guys went crazy for. You can find the recipe for these White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies right here. You know what the secret ingredient is? Brandy!! 

Now, we aren't big drinkers in my house (although my husband does love to both brew and drink his own beer), so I wasn't at all sure if we even had any brandy in the house. I stepped up on a chair to peruse our "liquor cabinet" (in other words, the cabinet above the refrigerator!) and started pawing through an assortment of old bottles--many untouched for decades. And yes--way back in the deepest, darkest corner was a dusty bottle of brandy with the price tag still on it--$6.19!! It had to be from back in the 70s when we were young newlyweds. I was a bit hesitant about using something so old, but threw caution to the wind and went for it. The boys all said this recipe needs to be added to my annual Thanksgiving/Christmas baking line-up. The only change I made was to leave out 1/4 cup of the sugar--they were still very, very sweet. And if you don't like the idea of adding brandy (it only calls for one Tablespoon), substituting vanilla would be just fine...

It is so rare to have all three of my  boys young men home at the same time that I treasure the times when that actually occurs. We all pitched in to create a memorable Easter dinner. My youngest son's girlfriend prepared her grandmother's delicious kugel for us (oh, my--what a treat) and our middle son saved the day when he found not one, but two recipes for grilling trout. Yes, trout! My husband mistakenly picked up trout  for our Easter dinner (which was supposed to consist of grilled beef tenderloin and salmon) and I didn't discover it until an hour or so before we were supposed to eat! Cooking is so much more fun when everyone pitches in, don't you agree?

I want to thank my friend, Gabi in Germany, who surprised me with not one, but two adorable Easter pillows. Gabi doesn't have a blog, but we've become email friends, and she's been so generous to me. The larger pillow is a Tra La La design called "Duo Printemps" and the small one is a little freebie by My Happy Memories available right here. Thank you so much, dear Gabi--I love them both and will think of you each time I decorate for spring and Easter!

Easter surprise from Gabi

I actually do have more to show you, but I'll save that for another day... I hope each of you has a merry, merry month of May! It certainly will be a month of celebrations for us with my in-law's 60th anniversary on Thursday and several family birthdays spread throughout the month. Oh, and let's not forget Mother's Day coming up on May 11th! Is anyone else hoping for some new stitching goodies? I've got my wish list ready! What's on yours? Bye for now...

Ah...Tis Spring!

Happy (almost) Spring, my friends! Yes, I know Spring doesn't officially start until tomorrow (March 20th, 2014 at 12:57 PM to be exact!), but I won't be home to post tomorrow so I'm rushing it a bit. I think all of us are anxious for spring to make an appearance after the winter we've suffered through, but I do see signs of life popping up everywhere. Last week, not only did all of our snow finally melt, but we also saw the first robin of spring and some tiny green daffodil shoots poking through the earth. The birds are joyfully singing again and the pale green leaf buds will soon appear on trees and shrubs to brighten this dull post-winter landscape. Ah, 'tis Spring!! I don't think it's ever been as warmly anticipated or welcome as it is this year, do you? 

In honor of the season, I've stitched one big blue bunny! Isn't she the cutest? I just love her giant body balancing on those petite black-heeled feet with her lacy pantaloons peaking out from beneath her dress.  This design ("Ah... Tis Spring" by Notforgotten Farm) is stitched on 40 ct. flax Newcastle linen, but I changed almost every one of the suggested colors.

"Ah...Tis Spring" finish

This is one of those designs where the photo on the front of the chart didn't resemble the suggested colors at all. In the photo below is the actual chart and the suggested color of the dress. To my eye, they look nothing alike. I preferred the pale blue of the photo on the front of the chart so I had to do some experimenting to find a close substitute. I wanted to use mostly overdyed threads in this piece, so I finally settled on GAST "Banker's Grey." It's a thread that contains both slate blue and grey in the skein so I leaned toward using only the blueish part and I think it turned out very well. There were times when I thought I would never finish that big dress, but you all know what a lover of all things blue I am, so that made it a bit easier.

For the bunny's fur, I used Crescent Colours "Stepping Stones" and am very pleased with how it looks. I wanted it to resemble the soft brown of our local bunnies. The inner ears and whiskers were stitched in Crescent Colours "Rosy Glow." For the flowers, I used both the darker and lighter parts of CC "Clay Pot" (the darker on the outside, the lighter on the inner portion).

Obviously, I changed the color of her pocket to DMC ecru to match the cuff, collar, and buttons. I wanted her to look a bit less primitive and even though I stitched the pocket in several different colors, the ecru is what finally won me over. I also added the design to the pocket to mimic the design on her pantaloons and that in the basket that she's carrying. Rather than having three colors for the grass, I used GAST "Dried Thyme" with carrots in GAST "Burnt Orange" and stems of DMC 3051.

The basket is stitched with GAST "Picnic Basket" with accents in CC "Stepping Stones." Don't you love the striped socks? They are stitched with the lighter part of CC "Clay Pot" and DMC 612. And what is a proper bunny without black heels?

Thank you, Lori, for such a delightful design! I will probably frame this one at some point... I am really bad at getting my few larger pieces framed, but she is too cute to leave stowed away in a drawer for too long. Below is a collage of my finish that you can click on if you want to see it in more detail.

"Ah...Tis Spring!"

My other finish is a pinkeep from With Thy Needle and Thread's "Valentine Sampler" leaflet. I just love this chart so much--it contains so many lovely designs! For this finish, I used 40 ct. raw natural Newcastle linen with the suggested threads. Since this one was being sent off as a RAK to my sweet friend in Canada, Anne, I wanted to personalize it a bit so I did make some changes.

As you can see, I added her initial in the upper left corner instead of the ABCs that were charted. I also added the button and changed the kitty in the lower right to resemble her darling brown and white cat, Titus. I neglected to take a photo of the back, but it is a pale green leafy material--very soft and pretty. The little wooden spools are wound with the same green thread that is in the design--aren't they adorable? I'm very pleased with how this one turned out and Anne seems to love it, too--you can see more photos on her beautiful blog if you want to take a peak...

"Valentine Sampler" pinkeep finish

I can't help think of Spring without being reminded of my oldest son's birth. He was born on March 21st, 32 years ago (now that makes me feel very old!) on a sunny warm day in the mid-60s. A perfect spring day in every way and I hope his birthday on Friday will be the same for him. So ♫♪♫ Happy Birthday ♫♪♫ to my oldest--I wish you every happiness in the year ahead...

I've done more stitching, but since it is for gifts, I can't show you quite yet. I'm leaving later today to go to New York to visit with my parents for a few days so I may be a bit out of touch, but I'll be sure to catch up with all of you when I return next week.  I wish for each of you sunshine and warmer days and the hope that our long, cold winter may soon be nothing but a distant memory. Bye for now...

 HAPPY SPRING TO ALL!