And a new year begins!

First of all--Happy New Year! I hope 2024 is treating you well so far? I tend to have a love-hate relationship with the month of January--how about you? I love the fact that it brings such a sense of peace after the hustle-bustle of the holiday; I love having extra stitching time by cozy fires; I love it when it snows (which seems to be rarer and rarer these days!); and I (kind of) love turning a year older with my mid-month birthday on the 16th. But, January seems to drag on forever, it is gray and dull most of the time (I think I've only seen the sun twice since Christmas!), and the month just doesn't provide much inspiration, does it? My mother used to say that "If you can just make it through long, cold January, you're good to go for the year." I tend to agree! 

I have lots of finishes to share with you today! These were all gifts that I stitched for friends and family for Christmas. In addition to my monthly ornaments in 2023, I also stitched 14 pieces for either ornaments or cards last year. The clue to stitching little gifts to send out during the busy month of December is to work ahead--I start my gift stitching in January and continue it all year. The other thing I do to make it easier, is to stitch pieces that I've done before--that way I don't have to think about the colors or finishes and everything comes together more quickly. I'm sure you'll recognize many of the following gifts as ones I've stitched before in one form or another. I would love to be able to send something to each one of you, but, of course, that is impossible. So, just know how much I appreciate you reading my blog, leaving such kind comments, and sending those wonderful emails. I truly appreciate each of you!

This Madame Chantilly design is just a small portion of the "Celebrate Winter" chart. I stitched it on 40 ct. stormy night Newcastle with DMC threads.  I made an oval ornament by adding additional snowflakes, topping it with a gauzy white bow and handmade cording, and sewing on a tiny silver bell. Isn't it sweet?

A small motif from "Celebrate Winter" by Madame Chantilly

I also stitched the next ornament, "Red Bird Globe" by Bent Creek, for myself back in 2020 (in this post). I used 32 ct. Wichelt Twilight Blue fabric and finished it exactly like the one I made for myself, except I changed the type of white hanger and added a scrap of flannel tied to the side. The "snowflakes" are simply white beads scattered about.

Bent Creek's "Red Bird Globe"

This sweet snowflake was stitched from a chart in the book  "A Rainbow of Stitches" by Agnès Delage-Calvet. I used 40 ct. white Newcastle linen along with Aurifloss 4140 floss. Love the patterned ribbon and the tiny snowflake charm dangling from the bottom middle! The blue in the snowflake print on the ribbon just happened to match the shade of blue in the floss perfectly.

A single snowflake from "A Rainbow of Stitches" by Agnès Delage-Calvet

 

I'm sure you will all recognize this round Prairie Schooler ornament--it's one of my favorites and one I've often given as a gift! This is from PS Book No. 51, "Christmas Past." It is stitched "over one" on 28 ct. black Monaco using the suggested DMC threads. I'm sure I'll be stitching this one again and again! It's always well received.

One of my favorite Santas from Prairie Schooler's "Christmas Past" Book No. 51

This freebie design is an oldie, but goodie. You can find the chart right here if you would like to stitch it for yourself. This was stitched on 40 ct. white Newcastle using DMC 115. I added a tiny brass reindeer charm along with a little red bell on the checkered bow for interest. Love the classic beauty of this one!

"Noel" freebie in DMC 115

Once again, I turned to Madame Chantilly's "Celebrate Winter" chart to stitch this sweet bird perched on a white house. This one is stitched on 40 ct. raw natural Newcastle with DMC threads. I added a few snowflakes to shape it into a round ornament. Love the little pop the polka dot bow adds to the final finish!

A small motif from "Celebrate Winter" by Madame Chantilly

For a couple of sweet babies born in 2023, I stitched this ornament from Brooke's Books called "Remy Rabbit" (twice). This is a free design which you can find right here. I forgot to take a photo of one of them before I mailed it, but it's exactly like the ornament shown below except with a different name. This one is for my niece's brand new daughter who was named after my dear mother. Yes, I cried a bit as I stitched her name... I hope little Elinor treasures it as she grows older. For this one, I used 40 ct. water green Newcastle linen with my own selection of DMC threads. Again, I added snowflakes to shape it into an oval ornament. 

A baby ornament for my dear mother's namesake by Brooke's Books called "Remy Rabbit"

The following cards were also stitched and sent around the world...

A sweet motif from "Good Tidings to You" by The Sampler Girl (found in the 2011 Just Cross Stitch Ornament Magazine)

The Birds of a Feather "Love" angel stitched on 40 ct. white  Newcastle. I changed her hair color from blonde to brunette.

A trio of Prairie Schooler skating Santa cards from the booklet "A Merry Mini Surprise" (Book No. 215) stitched on 40 ct. woodland brown Newcastle

And last, but certainly not least, I stitched a cute snowman ornament for my grandson, Mister B. I just had to stitch this in honor of the snowman that he and my husband created when we were visiting him in early December. Overnight, enough snow fell to build a small snowman and for him to go sledding down the little hill in their side lawn in Maryland. Oh, what fun he had! Here is the snowman the two of them made...

Mister B carefully explaining exactly where the snowman's "buttons" should be placed

And here is the snowman ornament I stitched for Mister B. It is by Stitching With the Housewives and is called "Let It Snow." I thought I was stitching it on 40 ct. black, but it turned out to be 32 ct. and for that reason, the coverage isn't the best (since I only used one thread). I stitched my grandson's name instead of the words "Let It Snow" on the mug (have blurred it out for privacy in the photo). Mister B got such a big grin on his face when he unwrapped it on Christmas morning! He now has  yet another "Stitched With Love by Nonna" ornament for his tree.

Whew! That is a lot of stitching for one post... Hope you enjoyed it and, perhaps, gained some inspiration for stitching your very own gifts for next Christmas!

Would you believe I still have my Christmas tree up? Am I the only one? I've never left it up this long, but I have to admit I'm truly enjoying the warm glow each evening when I turn it on. I had fully planned to take it down last weekend, but then this happened... 

The view of our back yard and pond: January 7, 2024

Can you spot the red cardinal snuggled in the rhododendron bush?

The snow gently falls as this sweet deer wanders into the woods

YES! We finally got snow--and I just had to leave the tree up a while longer :) I make no apologies--it just seemed right! But, the snow has now melted and I'm sure (well, pretty sure!) that I'll take it down this weekend. All the other Christmas things are boxed and put away in the attic so the tree shouldn't take long. I do hate saying goodbye to the ornaments for another 11 months, but, at the same time I know I'll love having my home back in order. 

I did take the Prairie Schooler ornaments off the tree and out of the Pottery Barn cubby for their very own photo-shoot last week. Just wanted to document what I've stitched through the years because at my "advanced age," I have to admit, I have trouble remembering which ones I've previously stitched. I'll be 69 years old on Tuesday... How can that be?!?!  I hope this final year in my 60s is a memorable one--and memorable for the right reasons!

A plethora of Prairie Schooler Santas!

Thanks so much for stopping by today! I hope you all have a relaxing weekend ahead with lots of stitching time. I'll be back later in the month with some new stitching--fingers crossed! Bye for now...

Another year older and sharing my final finishes of 2021

Oh, those old birthdays sure do come around quickly, don't they? I remember so badly wanting to be older when I was young--to do the "grown-up" things that all the big kids were allowed to do: ride my bike in the street, stay outside past dark playing with the neighborhood kids, walk to school by myself... But, now that I've reached my late 60's, I so wish time would slow down. I want more time to spend with my family, especially my grandson, more time to stitch every single chart in my stash and then some, more hours in the day to re-read favorite books and discover new ones. But, that's not how life works, is it? I turned 67 on Sunday and some days seem to pass in a blur. I begin each day with the best of intentions, but sometimes feel that I've accomplished nothing by the time my head hits the pillow at night. Does anyone else feel that way?

Well, enough of my philosophical ramblings on life and getting older! I actually do have some stitching to share with you today even though it is from 2021. I want to share the Christmas gifts that I made and sent out around the world to various stitching friends. As usual, I wish I could send many more gifts, but I'm only human and can only do so much! Anyway, I hope you will, perhaps, gain some inspiration from these finishes...

This charming Prairie Schooler piece is from Book No. 133 called "Winter Wind." It is only the top quarter of the design and one I've stitched before for myself (you can see my first finish in this post). This was stitched on 40 ct. pearl gray Newcastle with the suggested colors. This one is finished a bit differently as I actually forgot to attach the red beads (which represented the berries on each border), but, thankfully, the recipient liked it as is!

A portion of Prairie Schooler's "Winter Wind" stitched as an ornament

 

Next up, are two little round ornaments (have you noticed I seem to enjoy making round and oval ornaments more and more?) which went to two friends in Virginia. Again, this is a chart I've stitched before, although not "over one" like I did with these two. This is "French Country Snowflake" by JBW Designs. I used 25 ct. water sapphire Lugana and stitched them "over one" with white Anchor thread. I did omit the word "snowflake" that was charted. I think these designs are so clever with the miniature winter motifs featured inside! Can you spy the snowman, the skate, the reindeer, the sled, and the cottage? So creative!

Two JBW Designs "French Country Snowflake" ornaments

 

This Cricket Collection cardinal mitten is one that I haven't stitched before, but I love how it turned out. I used 40 ct. R&R salt marsh green linen with the suggested DMC colors for this finish. Beads were added for the cardinal's eyes and I turned it into a round ornament for my bird-loving friend.

The Cricket Collection cardinal mitten

 

The next ornament is one of my favorites as I love the Christmas greeting on it and, of course, that darling little bunny. This one can be found in the 2011 Just Cross Stitch Ornament magazine and is a design by The Sampler Girl. It is stitched "over one" on 28 ct. tea-dyed Monaco with most of the suggested colors. I did change the red to my go-to Christmas red: DMC 221. I'm happy to say the little bunny is residing, very happily, "across the pond" now!

"Good Tidings to You" by The Sampler Girl

 

In addition to the ornaments, I also made 5 cross-stitch cards. I enjoy receiving cross-stitched cards because, often, you can remove the stitching and make it into a new little ornament for your tree. I'm hoping that some of these cards will be turned into ornaments as well by the recipients. Cards are also a wonderful gift for international friends because the cost of shipping has really gotten out of hand, hasn't it? Believe it or not, the four cards shown below all came from the same chart! They are from "Winter's Song" by Plum Pudding Needleart--don't you love that cardinal? The card on the left is the full design stitched "over one" on 28 ct. Bay Leaf Jobelan. I actually stitched another as my August ornament last year (which you can read about here). And the three cards on the right are that same cardinal stitched "over two" on 28 ct. black Monaco.

Four stitched cards from "Winter's Song" by Plum Pudding Needleart

The final gift is simply another variation of the JBW Designs "French Country Snowflake" stitched "over one" on 28 ct. white Monaco. For the soft pink shade, I used Classic Colorworks "Sea Shelley." I don't stitch with pink very often, but I truly enjoyed it!

JBW Designs "French Country Snowflake" card

 

In other stitching news, I'm happy to report that a new piece has been hung after many, many years.  It took 8 long years to get this piece  on display! I began the With Thy Needle and Thread "Birds Of a Feather" sampler back in 2014, finished it in 2019 (if you want the details on the finish, just check here), and framed it last year. And finally, finally, I've hung it in my living room. Doesn't it look pretty against the backdrop of the blue walls? 

Framed "Birds Of a Feather" sampler by With Thy Needle and Thread

Here's a close-up of the frame... I sent this one to Total Framing in Virginia and the whole process was very easy (although I did have to wait nearly four months for it to come back to me). One of my goals for 2022 is to get more things framed and on my walls! We'll see how I do...

 

Other than stitching an ornament each month, I never have specific goals of what I want to stitch. But, this year, for some reason, Christmas stitching is calling to me. I don't mean ornaments, but larger Christmas pieces that I can frame. There are so many truly lovely Christmas designs out there and I honestly think I'm happiest when stitching anything Christmas related. So, I've ordered a few larger Christmas charts that (I hope) to share with you as I stitch them. This may be the year of "all Christmas, all year!" Just a warning :)

A birthday to remember... I was so surprised when my three sons told me they wanted to give me a family getaway weekend at Deep Creek Lake in Maryland for my birthday present this year. I mean, it wasn't even a milestone birthday! But, I think they just wanted to celebrate the fact that everyone is back on the East Coast and liven up the otherwise dull month of January (have I mentioned how much I dislike having a January birthday? Yes, I have--many, many times :)  Anyway, we arrived at our lovely rented lake home on Friday evening and prepared to settle in for what would be a nice cozy three-day weekend. We played games, went to a nature center, ate way too much food, snacked our way through the day, and were thoroughly entertained by "Mister B" who is just delighted at all the new words he can say. Below is my favorite photo of the weekend as my husband holds our little grandson looking out over Deep Creek Lake.

Little did we know that Mother Nature would interfere... The snow forecasts kept getting worse and worse so we pushed my birthday celebration up a day and ended up having to drive home on my actual birthday. We just couldn't risk traveling in the snow and ice with my grandson in the mix. My husband and I (and my middle son and his girlfriend) were heading north ahead of the storm so we made it home with no incident. My youngest and oldest son (and his family) were heading east, however, and it was an entirely different story for them. The youngest, who left later than the oldest, encountered roads so treacherous that he saw a big truck jack-knifed across the road right in front of him! Thank goodness, he hadn't left five minutes earlier... Things were so bad, he finally drove to his brother's house to relax and calm down for the evening before getting back on the road again. I'm sure some of you have never driven on icy, snow-covered roads, but it is exhausting and nerve-racking!

Thankfully, we all made it home safely and this will surely be a birthday weekend that we'll talk about for years to come.  I really am beyond touched that my sons gave me such a wonderful gift, even if our time together was cut short! I love those guys so very much!

My sons gave me a wonderful birthday weekend! Believe it or not, it was freezing outside--and very windy with temperatures  in the low 'teens. I don't know how my sons dared go out without jackets  while I'm all bundled up!

 

Much to my surprise, my birthday wasn't over! This week, I received three lovely gifts from stitching friends June, April, and Vickie--thank you all so much. I really am thrilled that you would remember me! And a big thank you to those of you who sent cards and emailed birthday messages...

Gifts from June in Great Britain: a lovely notebook, a much-needed new pen, cute keychain, and a fun tag about chocolate. Thank you so much, June!

Gifts from April in Virginia: a beautifully stitched and finished ornament for my tree, yummy cinnamon pecans (if my husband behaves, I'll share some with him!), and a cute "Sew Happy" notepad. Thank you so much, April!

Gift from Vickie in Wisconsin: a darling black cat wool needlebook. She knew my old kitty was an all-black cat so she modeled her creation after Shadow. I told her I can also use it as a finger puppet to entertain my grandson when we FaceTime! Thank you so much, Vickie!

 

We did end up with about 8 inches of snow from the weekend storm, but it was much worse down in Maryland where we had rented the lake house. It really was lovely to wake up to on Monday morning, though--our first real snow this year! The cardinals look so pretty against the snowy background, don't they?

Such a beautiful couple!

And that's it for this post! I'm working on my ornament for January (it's stitched, but not finished) so I just may be back before the end of the month to share that with you. If not--I'll see everyone in early February. Just a gentle reminder to make sure to include your email address if you want me to try to answer your questions. I have no way of responding if you don't! I hope you enjoy this last ten days of the month--it sure seems like 2022 is already speeding by, doesn't it? Thank you for all of your wonderful comments and emails--I so appreciate each and every one. Bye for now...

Hope you like black cats!!

Good morning, my dear friends! And a warm welcome to my new followers! I never post on Sundays, but with Hurricane Sandy making her way up to the north east, I decided to get this written because, yes, western Pennsylvania is in that highlighted red area you see on all of those weather maps. Hopefully, it is just high winds and rain (I'd even take some snow!), but you just can't be sure... Last week we enjoyed summer-like record-breaking temperatures and here we are just seven days later with hurricane warnings!  That Mother Nature sure is a fickle woman, isn't she? We are very blessed in the western Pennsylvania region to usually manage to escape nature's ravages...few tornadoes, wild fires, hurricanes, or any of the other devastating events that effect so many other parts of the country rarely hit us here. BUT, we were affected by Hurricane Ivan back in 2004. Our whole basement was flooded and I sure hope history doesn't repeat itself. My thoughts are with all of you on--especially those of you on the coast--as the storm approaches...

So, what have I been doing over the past three weeks? Well, playing with little black cats, of course! No, not real ones (unfortunately), but these sweet stitched ones. Yes, as many of you guessed, black cats is the theme for my October bowl of smalls. I love black cats because of the one and only cat we ever owned--my dear Shadow cat (more about him later!). Even though he's been gone for five years, I still miss him and since we aren't able to get another cat due to my husband's allergies, I have to get my "black cat fix" through my stitching. This month, I managed to stitch five new pieces featuring the fabulous felines and finish two of my unfinished-finishes that had been hidden away in a drawer for three years!

October 2012 Black Cat Finishes

This trio of grinning black cats marching along with their pumpkin heads made me smile the very first time I saw it, so I knew it would be making it into my bowl. This is actually just a small motif taken from the bottom portion of Prairie Schooler Book No. 165 Sweeping Cobwebs. I stitched this one on 40 ct. R&R Creme Brulee with DMC threads. It was the first time I'd worked on this fabric and I'll have to say, it wasn't my favorite. It was very loosely woven and almost stretchy--I didn't think the coverage (I normally use one thread on 40ct. fabrics) was as good as on other 40 ct. linens that I've used. I do like the mottled appearance of this linen, though, for a Halloween finish. The black and tan gingham and orange ruched ribbon finished up the little pillow quite nicely, don't you think?

"Sweeping Cobwebs" motif by Prairie Schooler

 

Next up is a finish called "Cat O'Lanterns" by Silly Snobs Gallery--a chart that I've had in my stash for a l-o-n-g time. It was published way back in 1993!! Again I used the 40 ct. R&R Creme Brulee for this piece, but learning from experience  on the previous finish, this time I used TWO threads for the black portions of the design and I'm much happier with the result. The cats have a lovely, almost velvety appearance. And how cute is that tiny gray mouse peaking out of the littlest pumpkin! I did end up changing the colors for the pumpkins because the charted colors were just too bright of an orange for my taste. This one is finished as a flat mount with miniature black pompom trim, a gingham bow, and tiny button as accents.

"Cat O'Lantern" by Silly Snobs Gallery

From the wonderful imagination of The Sampler Girl comes my next finish called "Quaker Boo." I'm really happy with how this one turned out--I picked the fabric colors after I'd finished the stitching, but they truly look like they were meant to go with my chosen floss colors. For this one, I used a combination of DMC, Needle Necessities, and WDW threads stitched over one on 25 ct. mushroom lugana. The chart is still available for purchase on Tanya's website . And how about those adorable black cat scissors in the photo--thanks again, Mary--I just love them! 

"Quaker Boo" by The Sampler Girl

I knew this freebie from Our Pioneer Homestead blog would be a perfect addition to my bowl of kitties. For the first time in a long, long time, I used 18ct. Aida for this finish.  Not my favorite to stitch on, but the color of burnt orange was perfect. I added another bat, a black star charm, and changed the border to finish this one. I wanted to make a black cording, but ran out of DMC 310, so I had to resort to whipstitching the back to the front which, boy, sure takes a lot longer than making a simple pillow and adding cording!

"Black Cat Inn" freebie from

Our Pioneer Homestead

And finally, I dove into my drawer of unfinished finishes and pulled out these two cuties... In a way, I'm glad I didn't finish them way back in 2009 when I stitched them, because I've gotten much more confident in my finishing skills and had tons of practice on finishing smalls since then!

This finish is called simply "Halloween Sampler" and is from the book The New Cross Stitch Sampler Book by Helen Philipps. You may be able to find a copy of the book at your local library which is where I found this one... If you're interested in reading more about this finish, you can read more about it in this post.

To make the pillow, I chose the ghostly fabric displayed behind it and added a black cording and bow--quick and easy and oh-so-cute!

 

"Halloween Sampler" from

The New Cross Stitch Sampler Book by Helen Phillips

And finally (whew!!), the adorable "Halloween Spots" design by The Trilogy. You can read about my finish in this post from way back in October of 2009. I love that skinny-legged ghost, don't you? Reminds me of my boys when they were tiny. For the finish, I chose a plain black fabric and a black and white polka-dot fabric to sew the pillow. Just adding on stripes of orange and black checked ribbon and a little brass pumpkin charm makes this one of my favorite finishes of this year.

"Halloween Spots" by The Trilogy

Seven black cat finishes (including the Prairie Schooler one from my last post) are shown below. Which one do you like best? It's really hard for me to pick this month--I'm really happy with each one of them!

 October 2012 Black Cat Finishes

So, here they are in my wooden bowl... Ten months down, two to go!! This monthly goal has been such a good way to finally stitch many of the older charts that I've had languishing in my stash for so long. I highly recommend it as a way of stitching some of those "oldies, but goodies" that you might have in your stitching collection, too... 

  October 2012 bowl of finishes

So, are any of my fellow stitchers also fans of black cats? Are you wondering how my obsession with them come about? Well, blame it on this little guy--my sweet "Shadow" who was our one and only pet for 14 years. In 1993, he wandered into our yard as a stray when my three young sons were playing outside with their friends and quickly made himself right at home. He really was the perfect Halloween kitty--this photo taken back in 2001 is one of my favorites.

Shadow in October 2001

Shadow was a constant companion to my sons--a great confidante who probably heard more of their hopes and dreams than any human being. The photo below was taken on our front porch in Halloween 1998 with my youngest "mummy" son and my middle "detective" son. (No, that isn't my oldest son in the rocking chair--it is just a giant stuffed monkey dressed up as Dracula!). We enjoyed eight more wonderful Halloweens with Shadow until an intestinal tumor took him from us in the summer of 2007. I still miss him every day...

 Halloween 1998

I won a lovely giveaway from my friend, Anne, who blogs at Doll's Musings. The plaid fabric is just perfect for future Christmas ornament finishing, isn't it? She also included some pretty green ribbon and a skein of Watercolors thread that she thought would be perfect to make cording along with three packets of tea. If you haven't visited Anne's blog, please stop by and say "hello." I'm sure you'll be impressed with her beautiful stitching and finishing... Thank you so very much, Anne--it has been a pleasure to get to know you better this year!  

Giveaway win from Anne

We've had such a gorgeous fall here in western Pennsylvania. I was afraid the colors wouldn't be very vibrant on the trees this year due to our hot, dry summer, but I think they were the prettiest they've been in years. I took the picture on the left driving home from my parents a couple of weeks ago, the one on the top right on my way to work, and the one on the bottom right from the library parking lot. Western Pennsylvania is very hilly and I think that only adds to the gorgeous display. I can't imagine not living with four beautiful and distinct seasons like we have here... 

 

Fall Foliage in Western Pennsylvania: October 2012

My husband put out the old sunflower heads for our resident deer and they've been having fun feasting while we enjoy watching them graze. We usually see three to five almost daily in our back yard. The middle photo of the collage shows the three females. The antlered males seem to come by less often, but they are so impressive to see when they do grace us with their appearance. 

 Backyard deer: Autumn 2012

I meant to share more photos from our North Carolina trip with everyone, but I'm just out of energy and in a bit of pain right now. I've been having trouble with my right thumb and am seriously wondering if it might be carpal tunnel syndrome. Anyone have any experience with that? I'm so afraid I'll have to give up stitching... Anyway, time to get off the computer and rest it a bit. Typing really bothers it and it's almost impossible not to use the right thumb since that is the one I use to hit the space bar!! 

Thank you, thank you for your kind comments and compliments on my finishes. I'm truly honored to hear that I've inspired you in some small way or other--really... Another reminder about your questions--I'm happy to answer them if I can, but you must leave an email address in order for me to get in touch with you. Anyway, I hope you each enjoy the remainder of your week and for those of you who celebrate... I wish you a most enjoyable Halloween filled with chocolate galore! Bye for now... 

HAPPY HALLOWEEN !

Getaway Weekend and Giveaway Winner

Good morning everyone! Oh, what a string of glorious fall days we've had here--the sun, the blue skies, the crisp leaves...It's really too bad it has to end. What a difference a sunny day can make in one's life, don't you agree? And how about that extra hour we gained on Sunday due to the time change? I told my husband I would love it if every Sunday could include an extra hour--I seemed to have so much more time to relax and stitch...

Ornament stitching has been my priority over the past two weeks and the first finish I have to share with you is this darling rabbit from the 2011 Just Cross Stitch Ornament Issue. "Good Tidings to You," designed by The Sampler Girl, just popped out at me the minute I looked through the magazine and I knew it would be the first thing I stitched. I changed the color of red to DMC 221 since I didn't have the recommended overdyed, but other than that, I used the suggested threads. I stitched him "over one" on 28 ct. tea-dyed monaco since I like my ornaments on the small side. (But you all knew that didn't you?!)



For this finish, I used the burgundy gingham fabric to accent the front and to back the ornament, trimmed it with a bit of lace and added a brown bow and hanger. The bow really isn't as brown as is shown in my photo--it actually is a great match for the bunny's fur color. Most of you know, I've been stitching an ornament each month so this finish is Mr. October...



My November ornament finish is this pair of smiling snowmen that I found in the 2010 Just Cross Stitch Ornament Issue. "Oh Joy" is designed by Val's Stuff and I just couldn't resist the little bald-headed duo! I did make some color changes and ended up using DMC 221, 520, 844, 301, and B5200 on 28 ct. sage jobelan.


Another tiny finish (yep--it's another over one stitching!) that just makes me smile. I backed the ornament in the green gingham fabric shown in the photo and added a red and green checked hanger and bow. I'm really into these tiny bows at the moment, aren't I? Hope you're not getting tired of them!!



My final ornament is a birthday gift for my dear blogging friend Mary. I fell in love with this "Noel Ornament Stamp" (by Jeannette Douglas in the 2011 JCS Ornament Issue) when my friend, Pam, showed us her finish on her blog recently. Don't you love the tiny chickadee?


Although most of this one is stitched "over one" which I generally enjoy doing--that stylized "E" in "Noel" just about drove me crazy. It's stitched on 32 ct. Confederate Gray linen using the suggested DMC and Sampler Threads. I omitted the date and finished it up with some purple beads, purple cording and, what else, a tiny bow!! Mary was very happy with her birthday gift and I was so pleased with the final result that I think I'll end up stitching it again just for myself...

GETAWAY STITCHING WEEKEND: Two weeks ago, four stitching friends and I headed up to Erie, PA for our annual Bed & Breakfast getaway weekend. Let me tell you, it was such a relaxing and delightful three days. The breakfasts were outstanding and the company even better. This year, we decided to kit up little ornaments from the 2011 JCS Ornament Issue for each other. I really enjoyed doing this and below are my kits of "Good Tidings to You" all ready to be packaged up.

I took a photo of my finish and applied it to gift bags, stuffed in some gingham tissue paper, and there you have it--five little gifts for five special stitching friends. (Four of us stitchers, plus the innkeeper who stitches as well and so patiently tolerates our scattered threads and stitching lamps!)

And I didn't come home empty-handed either... Just look at the gifts that Lee and Linda made for each of us! Lee created this lovely fall themed pincushion complete with a cluster of grapes charm and some grape colored pins. And Linda and her husband designed this lovely grape colored mug for us to commemorate our weekend. Why all the "grapiness?" Well, the name of the B&B is the "Grape Arbor Bed and Breakfast" so there you have it. Thank you so much Lee and Linda--I'll think fondly of our weekend each time I look at your gifts.

But wait...there's more! As I mentioned, each stitcher kitted up her own ornament for us so I came home with four soon-to-be stitched ornament kits... Amazingly not one of us selected the same design and it was such fun to see what appealed to each person. Thank you all for your kits and for such a memorable weekend. I'm already looking forward to next year!

GIVEAWAY WINNER: So, I imagine you're all wondering just who won my 500+ follower giveaway? Well, I won't keep you in suspense any longer... I let the random number generator pick for me and up came #12... Guess who left the 12th comment on the giveaway post? Why none other than the very lucky...

ANNIE!!

Congratulations, Annie--please email me with your mailing address and your prizes will be on their way to you. Thank you all for entering...I loved reading about your blog names and how they came to be. I honestly wish I had a gift for each of you...

I also want to offer a warm welcome to my new followers...I've tried to get around to your blogs to say hello, too, but still have a few to get to... Anyway, I'm glad you're here and that you find my little part of the blogosphere interesting enough to follow. (And for Sherry who asked for details on my November header--the handsome turkey is from Prairie Schooler's Fall & Winter (No. 90) chart.)

Well, that's it for today's post! Thank you all for stopping in and saying "hello!" Each time I see a new comment on one of my posts, it feels a bit like I'm opening a little present--I truly appreciate each and every one... Enjoy your week! Bye for now...