Four sweethearts and a snowman!

Greetings from an unusually warm western Pennsylvania! 84° in mid-October? Unbelievable, but that's what they're forecasting for later today and I'm loving it. I know it won't last forever, but the winter will surely feel shorter due to this amazingly sunny, warm fall we've had so far. 

Today, I have a couple of finishes that are long overdue. You see, way back in this post from August 2011 (yep, more than 5 years ago!), I wrote that I would be stitching the most famous crow couple Ida Mae and her honey, Ira Ray "next." Ha! I wonder what happened? They have been kitted up all these years just patiently waiting for me to pay them some attention. And you know what? I'm sorry I put off stitching them so long because they were both so delightful to stitch!

I had originally picked the suggested 35 ct. WDW straw linen for the crow couple (designed by The Good Huswife), but after just a few stitches, I knew it wasn't for me. It was so flopsy--it about drove me crazy! So, I switched to what lately seems to be my "new best friend"--40 ct. country mocha  Newcastle. Here is Ida Mae in all her glory stitched with the suggested NPI silks. Isn't she adorable? I just love her polka dots!

Miss Ida Mae Crow

Seriously, who could resist her? Well, certainly not Mr. Ira Ray Crow in his bright green vest and chocolate striped pants. I did make some changes to the flowers surrounding Ira Ray--I omitted the bright orange and used the same colors that were found in Ida Mae's palette. I changed the color of his buttons, too, from ivory to gold because they showed up better.

Mr. Ira Ray Crow

Um, let's talk about those pants of Ira Ray's--don't they totally remind you (well, those of you old enough to remember the fashionable 60s, that is!) of the slacks sported by many of the boy bands of the decade? Why, I know I dated a few guys who wore them (and, I "might" even admit to having owned a similar pair, myself--but don't tell anyone!!). I found this great old photo of a 60s band online (sorry, but I don't know the name of the group) and just look at the striped pants on the second guy--notice the resemblance? Too funny!!

So, what do you think? Are Ira Ray and Ida Mae in the courting phase or are they married? I think it's the former... They both have a sort of hesitant, shy look about them. Ah, young love in bloom! I plan on framing them  in black, rustic looking frames and hanging the pair in my family room.

Two sweethearts in love...

And I have another snowman ornament finish--my ninth of the year. Oh, wait, this is the 10th month of the year, isn't it? Yes, I'm behind--still need to stitch my snowman for October. I needed something quick and easy so I chose this little guy  by The Little Stitcher called "Blue Snowman." He can be found in the 2016 Just Cross Stitch Ornament issue. Once again, I used 40 ct. country mocha Newcastle--just love it!

"Blue Snowman"

I changed the color of blue to DMC 930 (from the turquoise hue that was suggested) because I wanted to coordinate it with the Woolies Flannel that I chose for my finish. I'm so pleased with the final look. The blue wool flannel reminds me of a snuggly  blanket and the ivory braided trim resembles a warm winter sweater giving this ornament a nice cozy feel. I surrounded it with some handmade cording and added a couple of rusty bells hanging from strands of DMC 930 to finish off the ornament. Only three ornaments left to stitch for the year--hooray!

A ninth snowman ornament for my tree

So, that is my stitching news for this post...

But, don't leave yet! I've got some other news... Big news!! Look at the title of my post--it reads: "Four sweethearts and a snowman," doesn't it? Who are the other two sweethearts??? Well, remember my oldest son who moved to California last month? What I didn't tell you is that he left with a ring in his pocket... a beautiful diamond ring. And, on a lovely San Diego evening, while drifting down the canals near Coronado, he asked his very own sweetheart to marry him as they watched the sun set from a gondola. They are planning a fall 2017 wedding and we couldn't be happier for them... 

An engagement at sunset

So, there is lots of happiness in my household in spite of a very tumultuous time in United States history. Thank goodness I have my stitching and Netflix watching so I can avoid the political commercials and stressful moments that this election is causing--at least, to some degree. Is anyone else stressed out? Yikes!! Pure craziness...

I plan to be back with a couple of Halloween finishes before the end of the month, but until then--"Happy Stitching" everyone! And thank you all for your sweet comments and emails. The fact that you take a few moments out of your day to leave a comment really means a lot to me! Bye for now...

And the days grow shorter...

Well, September is nearly over--can you believe it? I hope you've each had a good month? Before I show you what I've been working on since my last post, I want to thank you for your great comments and emails regarding my oldest son's move to the opposite side of the country. I really could feel the love--and it made his departure a bit easier to deal with. Let's just say I'm doing "okay"--I have my tearful moments, but am trying my best to look ahead to our already booked San Diego trip to visit him in November.   Sunday night is the hardest time for me as that is when he and my middle son always used to come over for a special Sunday dinner each week. But, life goes on and is always changing, isn't it?

On to stitching news... I managed to finish that little Prairie Schooler snowman that I showed you in my last post. This is my eighth snowman ornament for 2016 (yes, I need to get the ninth stitched and finished for September as soon as possible). For this finish I used some green gingham (actually I cut up a kitchen towel because I liked the weight of it better than the gingham fabric I can find in stores), some putty colored mini pompom trim, a sprig of greenery, and some jingle bells to match the red in his scarf and earmuffs. 

Prairie Schooler Santa finish for August

Here is another photo where you can see the greenery a bit better...I simply glued the greenery and the red bells to the jute hanging ribbon. The back of the ornament is covered with red felt. I think his big grin tells me he's quite happy with the finish, too!

Such a smiley guy :)

 

I also stitched a fall piece that I've stitched before (way back in 2012 which you can see here) as a birthday gift for one of my earliest blogging friends, Myra. (She isn't blogging any longer, like so many, but that doesn't mean I don't still think of her! I'm so happy to have discovered many old blogging buddies on Instagram and reconnect with them, though...) Anyway, this Homespun Elegance design was stitched "over one" on 28 ct. Monaco (a hand dyed fabric by Sassy's Fabbys called "Hay Fields").

Homespun Elegance's "Joyful Autumn"

I auditioned various fabrics for the final finish and this medley of tan, brown, and black was the ultimate winner. I was surprised at how much I liked this as it isn't a "typical" fall fabric, but for some reason, it worked! I simply added some black ric rac, gold handmade cording, and a pair of buttons to finish it off. I was really pleased with the final look and who could resist that tiny black squirrel posing with a little acorn in his paw?

"Joyful Autumn" all finished up

My overdyed thread for the Birds Of a Feather Sampler that I shared with you last time arrived and I've made some progress--not a lot, but at least the green leaves and trunk are done on the large tree and I can move on to the house on the hill... I would love to get this done by the end of the year, but I'm going to have to begin Christmas stitching soon, so it may have to wait!

"Birds Of a Feather" progress

I was surprised to receive not one, but two RAKs in the mail recently. First--all the way from jolly old England and my friend, June, came a lovely stitched sachet filled with lavender, fragrant soap, and cards. June grew the lavender in her own garden (which has to be one of the prettiest around!) so that makes it even more special. Thank you for thinking of me, my sweet friend...

Random Act of Kindness from June

And from my friend, Lisa, in Ohio came two bunny charts. Lisa was de-stashing (something I should be doing, too!) and came across these two cute charts that reminded her of me. She knows how much I love rabbits! So, off the bunnies hopped across the border into Pennsylvania and to a new home with me. Thank you so much, Lisa--they are adorable!

Random Act of Kindness from Lisa P.

On one of our last Sunday dinners together before my son moved to San Diego, I made one of our favorite cakes: Triple Chocolate Bundt Cake!  This has a chocolate cake mix, chocolate pudding, and chocolate chips in it--I mean, really, who can resist something made with three chocolates? It is so moist and tasty and super easy to make--I'd be happy to share the recipe if any of you would like it (just make sure to include your email so I can send it to you). 

Triple Chocolate Cake, Orange Cosmos, and some fall stitching--three of my favorite things!

I have to admit, I'm a bit sad to say "farewell" to this month. I honestly don't remember a September as warm and sunny as this one...  The shorter days of late fall and winter are something I dread--especially when it begins to be dark when I leave work at 6:00 PM. But, I do get more stitching time in as the months grow colder which is good. I hope October is good to each of you--thanks, as always, for taking the time to say "hello" and reading my little blog--I do appreciate each of you! Bye for now...

Stitching Snowmen In This Horrid Heat

Hello, hello! I've been away much too long and I've missed all of you! July is one of our two busiest family months (May being the other) and in between traveling to New York to visit my mom and preparing for our annual week at the beach, I've had little stitching time. But, to be honest with you, I think this heat is just zapping any energy that I normally have for stitching. The humidity has been horrid and it seems to take me so much longer to do even the simplest things around the house when it's like this. We do have air-conditioning, thank goodness, but this heat and humidity still just make me want to sit and read rather than stitch. 

I've been keeping up with my monthly snowman challenge and have two cuties to share with you today. My July ornament is from Grandma Kringles and is called "Winter's Frost." I used 40 ct. Country Mocha Newcastle linen for this one along with a mixture of overdyed threads. I think the white shows up quite well on this particular fabric which is one reason I chose it.

"Winter's Frost"

To finish him off, I added a rusty bell on his collar and used some fabric from the Woolies Flannel Charm Pack which I added to my stash a couple months ago. I just love it--reminds me of a cozy man's shirt or cuddly blanket material. The gold cording is made using DMC 420. I didn't have enough of the flannel for the backing, but, luckily, I had a heavy cotton napkin in the perfect shade to use. I stock up on cloth napkins for backing material whenever they are on sale at Kohl's.

July snowman ornament all finished up!

And for my June ornament, I finally finished this quartet of smiling snowmen from Country Cottage Needleworks (the design is called "Snowmen"). This was a large design so to make it ornament sized I had to stitch it over one on a 32 ct. mystery dusty blue evenweave. I also left off the bottom border that was charted (the same pine boughs that are in the top border).  This gave me a tiny 2" x 4" ornament--perfect!

Country Cottage Needleworks "Snowmen"

Now, seriously, who can resist their little grins? Rather than cross stitching the mouths, I just used straight stitches since I was working on such a tiny scale. And here is the finished ornament--a little pillow with ruched ribbon trim, a gauzy hanger, and three miniature jingle bells. What do you think?

June snowman ornament finish

I'm currently working on a gift for a friend so I can't show you that, but I hope to begin a larger piece soon. I just need a nice design with simple DMC threads--no thoughts about converting fibers and such. Time to go stash-diving and see what I come up with!

Sonnenberg Gardens... When my husband and I visited my mom in mid-July, we took advantage of an almost perfect weather day (mid-70s, low humidity) to visit historic Sonnenberg Gardens & Mansion in Canandaigua, New York. The home is over 125 years old and sits on 50 acres of land.  This was the summer home (Sonnenberg means "Sunny Hill" in German) for the Thompson family. Frederick Ferris Thompson was the founder of what is now Citibank and Mary, his wife, was from Canandaigua, so they chose that location to escape the city heat each summer. The acreage includes gardens in many different styles including a Japanese garden, rock garden, Italian garden, pansy garden, and moonlight garden. I took a lot of photos that day! Here are some of my favorites...

Sonnenberg Mansion: 40 rooms of Queen Anne style beauty

The library, my favorite room in the mansion (of course!!)

Another view of the library

The sewing room was off a main bedroom

A cozy bedroom featuring a crazy quilt

Close-up of the lovely embroidery on the crazy quilt

Loved the title of this vintage book resting on a nightstand!

I couldn't help but notice how teeny-tiny all of the dresses were! I'm quite petite, but there is no way I could fit into any of the dresses that were on display throughout the house...

A view of the Italian Garden from the second floor porch. Unfortunately, due to lack of rain in the area, all of the grassy areas were very brown and burned out.

The rose garden in July; past its prime, but still lovely!

This Buddha was featured in the Japanese Garden.

Stairs in the rock garden that led up to a rocky perch to relax, enjoy nature, and simply watch the world go by.

Of course, the Blue and White Garden was my favorite!

Lovely statues were scattered throughout the grounds.

Such a wonderful glimpse into a bygone era!

Instagram--Well, I took the plunge and joined Instagram! I honestly did it just to be able to see my son's travel photos from China, Croatia, Hungary and Slovenia (where he is now--he'll fly home on Friday). But, once I got there, I discovered so, so many old blogging friends were now using Instagram sharing their beautiful stitching that I couldn't resist following them, too! It was like a reunion--I was so happy to reconnect with them and see what they've been up to... I've even posted a couple of my own photos so if you would like to follow me, my user name is caroling55. And if you are on Instagram--let me know and I'll look for you, too! I can see why folks enjoy it as it is so much easier and quicker than pulling a blog post together. But, I do like the blogging format, too, so I don't plan on giving my blog up any time soon. 

Birthday boys... My husband and youngest son have July birthdays within 5 days of each other so when my son decided to pay us a surprise visit on his birthday, I quickly whipped up this small carrot cake. I made a tiny banner from one I printed off the internet, added a couple of signs denoting their ages, and a few candles. It was so, so tasty!

A birthday cake for two very special guys...

And on the 23rd, my husband and I celebrated our 39th wedding anniversary! Well, I use the term "celebrated" very loosely because he was on a charity bike ride for multiple sclerosis for the entire weekend. But, he promised me that our 40th anniversary next July will be marked by a special trip... Hmm... where should we go? Where would you go for an anniversary milestone? Our two older sons and their girlfriends gave us this wonderful summery bouquet to commemorate our special day...

Anniversary flowers for 39 years of marriage

So, that about wraps up my busy month--oh, except for the new babies that have arrived at our house! No, not human babies--little bitty robins! If you are long time readers of Stitching Dreams, you may recall that robins built a nest on our front door wreath before (you can read about it in this post). They try each and every year to build there, so we usually bring the wreath inside during the spring and early summer to foil their attempts. Well, this year, they outwitted us and built their nest in the mid-summer July heat! The eggs were already there so we couldn't remove the wreath this time. I'm happy to announce that the birds have all hatched since these photos were taken... To avoid upsetting them, the front door is off limits and we just enter our house through the garage. 

Four new baby robins have arrived!

I am way, way behind on blog reading after this busy month, but plan on catching up today and tomorrow, so if I haven't been around to visit you in a while, I'll be popping in soon! I want to thank you all, as usual, for your very kind comments and your friendships. The stitching community is honestly one of the most supportive groups out there--aren't we the lucky ones?  Bye for now...

Gifts and goodies!

Good February evening to you, my sweet friends! Who else is cheering the end of January? What a long, cold, miserable month--at least for those of us in the midwest and east (and many of you in the south, too). We received 20 inches more snow than in an "average" January...and I know I'll never forget all those sub-zero days. I'm sure hoping that February will be a bit nicer to us. But, a bright spot within that cold first month of 2014 was my birthday! I can't thank you enough for all of your birthday wishes on my last post. I'm so glad that many of you shared my recollections of childhood memories--it really was a wonderful time to grow up in so many ways, wasn't it? I do worry about the fast pace of life that children face growing up in today's world. I guess that sounds "old-fashioned," but it is so hard to see what kids have to deal with today in what should be a fun, simple time in their lives.

I've done a bit of stitching, but only have two things to share with you today--both were sent off as gifts. I stitched my first LHN "Little Sheep Virtues" and thoroughly enjoyed it. This one, "Peace," was sent to my friend, Cindy, for her birthday last month. I stitched it on 40 ct. pearl gray Newcastle using most of the suggested colors, but I changed the greens to DMC 3051 and 3052. I also added a few more leaves to the tree branches on the right.  A simple ecru handmade cording finished it off into a sweet, little pillow for Cindy to set on a bookshelf or place in a basket.

 Birthday gift stitched for Cindy

Another Little Sheep Virtues design, "Love,"  caught my eye and I thought it would be perfect for Valentine's Day stitching. This was sent as a Random Act of Kindness (RAK) to my friend, Lisa over at The Inspired Stitcher. I hope to do quite a few RAK's this year--just want to bring a smile to the faces of some of you wonderful stitching friends. Nothing is expected in return--I just enjoy surprising people now and then...  For "Love," I again used the 40 ct. pearl gray Newcastle (although it seems to appear blue in this photo for some reason) and the same threads that I chose for the "Peace" pillow. I added two more small red hearts above the heart near over the "V" rather than add the suggested button. Both Cindy's gift and Lisa's RAK were backed with the pale green and ivory fabric you see in this photo. I think I'll be stitching this a second time to add to my bowl of Valentine's pillows...

 RAK stitched for Lisa

I've also stitched both my Christmas ornaments for January and February, but want to wait until I'm done with the finishing to share them with you.  Another RAK is in the works and will be winging its way to another stitching friend very soon, too! 

BIRTHDAY ROUND-UP... Several of you asked what my sons cooked for my birthday dinner. I'll tell  you... it was such a treat to just sit and be waited on that evening! I'm not used to others cooking for me and I honestly didn't quite know how to just sit and relax as they bustled around the kitchen cooking and doing the dishes... The main dish they prepared was called Pasta all'Amatrice and was prepared with a new-to-me pasta called bucatini. It was like a thick hollow spaghetti--have any of you had it before? Very, very tasty and quick to prepare. They also served roasted vegetables (not a green one in sight, thank goodness!!), garlic bread, and ended the feast with a selection of little cheesecakes for dessert. It was an almost-perfect evening--if only my youngest son could have been there with us, too. But, he surprised me by sending this simply gorgeous flower arrangement. Hydrangeas, lilies, iris, daisies, and white roses--such a perfect bouquet for me!

Birthday flowers from youngest son

Two wonderful gift certificates from 123 Stitch arrived from my oldest and middle sons and my middle son and his girlfriend also gave me this pretty blue and white bowl filled with the most fragrant hyacinth. It's been such a pleasure to enjoy a bit of spring as the snow flies outside!

A breath of spring!

And, guess what? More birthday gifts arrived from stitching friends. It took a bit longer to get them from overseas, but they were both well worth the wait. My sweet friend, Valerie, sent these all the way from France. Just look at this adorable blue and white needlebook that she stitched for me! I so love the little girl on the swing and the beautiful "C" monogram--just perfect! (This is from a French design called Toile de Jouy Alphabet Chart). She included a pretty handmade card and some floss as well. Thank you so much, my lovely friend--your thoughtful gifts are so special!

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 Birthday gifts from Valerie

My dear friend, Lois in Northern Ireland, sent another fabulous package of goodies. She made a lovely floss tag (her first ever--and it looks perfect!) in the prettiest shades of blue and green. As you can see, it is monogrammed with my initials and the year and finished with a lovely blue/gray cording. The gift box also included a sweet chart called "Maddie Button" (I know I'll be stitching this one soon!), a lovely decorative bow, some silk floss, and a package of tea. Lois, your gifts put a huge smile on my face--thank you so very much!

Birthday gifts from Lois

And I was also treated to another 123 Stitch gift certificate from my sweet friend, Donna (no blog) who lives in West Virginia. I know just what I'll be ordering with it, Donna! Thanks so very much for making my birthday so special!

It's a tradition at the library where I work that whoever is celebrating his or her birthday brings a treat for our monthly meeting, so, with my January birthday, I'm first each year. This year, I treated my co-workers to this plate of cookies... Oh, my--the aromas of butter and sugar were amazing as they baked.  Along with the peanut-butter kiss cookies you see on the left, I also made White Chocolate Chip Macadamia Nut Cookies, Raspberry Brownies, and Pecan Pie Bars. Needless to say we were all on a "sugar high" after that meeting...

Birthday goodies made for work

I also wanted to share with you this bowl of cheery snowmen that I have on the sideboard in my kitchen. Honestly, just seeing their smiling faces has helped make this long winter a bit more bearable. Just look at those cute little grins--I dare you not to smile! My husband bought this long (22 inches!), narrow wooden bowl for me for Christmas and it is a perfect depth for displaying a row of my little pillows. These are actually Christmas ornaments that I placed in the bowl after we took our tree down last month. Cute, eh?

 My bowl of jolly snowmen

Well, that's about it for my first February post. I plan on doing some Valentine stitching over the next couple of weeks--how about you? I hope you each have a great week ahead with lots of stitching time! There is nothing more therapeutic than curling up with our fabric, thread, and needle on these cold winter days, don't you agree?  Thanks again for your delightful comments and emails... you always manage to make me smile!  Bye for now...

Ornament Finishes and Giveaway Winners

Greetings from Pennsylvania on a lovely spring day! Yes, it is finally beginning to feel like spring after our record-breaking low temperatures last week. It was a frigid 19° on April 4th--can you imagine? According to our local newspaper we were colder here in the Pittsburgh area than in Juneau, Alaska or even Moscow! But, today we are supposed to reach a lovely 67°--it was so nice to wake up to the sounds of the Mourning Doves' coos today. I hope the rest of you who have endured an "endless winter" are enjoying sunnier days, too.  

Someone asked about my Christmas ornaments in my last post... Oh, yeah, that's right, I was supposed to be stitching one a month, wasn't I? Well, I'm just a bit behind--four months behind to be exact! The good news is that I made some progress and finally finished these little cuties for my January and February selections. First up, is another of the four snowmen featured in the chart "Let It Snow" by A Stitcher's Hands. If you've been reading my blog for a while, you'll remember I stitched his red, white, and blue themed buddy last year (you can see him by clicking here). I used the suggested DMC threads on a piece of 32 ct. mystery linen and embellished his hat with a little white pompom. The plaid fabric was a sample scrap from Joann Fabrics and the backing fabric is the gold-toned napkin shown in the background which I picked up at Kohl's. There are two snowmen left in this booklet--hope to get all of them stitched at some point.

A Stitcher's Hands: "Let It Snow" snowman

My February ornament is one of my favorites from the Little House ornament series called "Bringing Home the Tree." It is stitched on 40ct. raw natural Newcastle linen using the suggested threads. I just love that little black Scottie with his red collar and booties--so sweet. I really liked the border in this one, too. To finish it off, I simply ruched some sage green satin ribbon and added three white pearly pins at the top. What do you think?

 

"Bringing Home the Tree" (Little House Needleworks)

I'm currently working on my third and fourth ornaments of the year and hope to have them done by the end of the month so I'll be all caught up...

GIVEAWAY WINNERS: OK, admit it, how many of you skipped down to this part of my blog to see who won my 1000+ follower giveaway?  Oh, I know many of you did. And chances are all but three of you were a bit disappointed. This is the hard part for me--I so wish I could give each of you, especially those who regularly comment, a little something. But, I simply don't have the time or resources to send so many gifts all over the world... I was truly honored that so many of you (almost 200!!) entered my giveaway for my simple handmade pieces. I mean I wasn't giving away anything very valuable, so it meant all the more that so many of you wanted a little something made by me. A simple pillow didn't seem like much, so I've added a few more goodies to the winner's packages, but will keep everything secret until they arrive at their new homes. My husband did the honors in picking the names out of the hat (well, really, it was just a plain old paper bag :) and, without further ado, here they are:

PRAIRIE SCHOOLER BUNNY WINNER:

 Julie (Julie's Stitchy Knitter Journal)

 

PAINTED EGG WINNER:

Passion Fruit Princess (Ana Paula)

"S" IS FOR SPRING WINNER:

 Pam in IL (Pam)

If the winners will please contact me with your mailing addresses, I'll get your packages out to you soon. I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed stitching them! And for the rest of you, all I can offer is my sincere thanks. Thank you for your wonderful comments, your emails, your friendships and support. I truly loved reading about the simple things that made you smile in your entries and I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one who enjoys "a simple life!"

SPECIAL THANKS: Imagine my surprise when I received two wonderful packages in my mailbox this past week. First of all, my new blogging friend, Dawn, sent me one of her sweet scissor fobs as a Random Act of Kindness. I was so touched and honored that she would think of me and wanted to make me smile. I just love it, Dawn--the colors of lavender are perfect for me and the flowered white beads are so sweet. Doesn't the fob look lovely on my favorite pair of scissors? Thank you so very much, my friend--I'll think of you and your kindness each time I admire your beautiful creation!

Scissor Fob RAK from Dawn

Thank you, my friend--it is beautiful!

And from one of my long-time blogging buddies, Valerie (Fog City Dweller blog), came a belated birthday present package (which, believe me, was well worth the 3 month wait!!). I honestly gasped, "Oh, it's beautiful," when I removed this beauty from the package. Just look at this stunning Drawn Thread ornament that Valerie made for me--perfectly stitched and finished! And you know what, I had picked this exact chart to stitch for my April Christmas ornament--luckily I hadn't begun yet! This is from "The Holly and the Ivy Sampler" chart and is one of my favorites. How did you know Valerie? 

"The Holly and the Ivy" birthday gift from Valerie

I adore it, my friend--thank you so, so much!

As if the ornament wasn't more than enough, Valerie included all of these goodies, as well... There was a cute LHN chart, a blue skein of silk, a blue notepad, and a cute key chain from Valerie's beloved San Francisco. I told her I honestly plan on visiting her fair city one day--especially if she agrees to be my tour guide. Thank you, thank you, my sweet friend--I am so happy we've "met" through our blogs...

So many birthday goodies from Valerie!

SUGGESTIONS NEEDED: Is there anything more heart-warming than welcoming a new baby to the world? Well, how about welcoming three new babies to the world? My best friend's daughter recently gave birth to triplets--two dear baby girls and a precious baby boy. I had the best time shopping for these little outfits and even made a card to welcome them (definitely outside my comfort zone--I am not a papercrafter by any means, but it turned out pretty cute if I do say so myself). I fell in love with these sweet pink dresses with matching hairbands and I think the little boy will look mighty sharp in his plaid shorts and spiffy white crested shirt, don't you? Now, I would love to stitch some little Christmas ornaments or a triplet themed sampler for them and that is where I could use your help. Have you stitched or received anything that would be appropriate for a trio of new babies? I'd really like to make something special for them as I watched their mom grow up from the time she was a tiny baby herself and her family moved in three houses down from me. If anyone has any suggestions, I'd be so appreciative.

Baby gifts and handmade card 

to welcome a trio of new babies

After all of these years, I've finally read an old classic, The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett and, oh, how I enjoyed it. Am I the only adult who had never read it as a child? I actually think I probably appreciate it and enjoy it more now than I would have as a child. And, of course, I had to watch the movie as soon as I finished the book, and it was charming. A perfect movie for spring with all of the budding gardens and newborn animals--and did I mention the sheep? Lots and lots of sheep for all of you cross-stitch sheep lovers (myself included!). Anyway, if you haven't read the classic book or seen the movie, I highly recommend them both...

MOVIN' TO BLOGLOVIN':  With the upcoming demise of the Google Reader you can now follow my blog in a new reader simply by clicking on this link and signing up: Stitching Dreams blog. Hope to see you all there!

Well, that's it for this week, my friends... Thanks so very much for stopping by and saying "hi!" I do appreciate each and every comment so very much. I wish you a week filled with sunshine! Bye for now...