A cute Halloween finish

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

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

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

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

Isn't that mischievous black cat the cutest thing?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 KATIE in Indiana!

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

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

My favorite flowers!

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

 

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

My trio of crocks--all gifts!

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

Home sweet home!

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

Summer Surprises!

And here we are nearing the end of June--almost half of the year is over! Can you believe it? Summer has arrived very tentatively as we've had more than our share of rainy, cool days here in western Pennsylvania. This past weekend was perfect, though--sunshine and blue skies with no rain or high humidity! A real treat--in fact, the local weatherman reported that we had not had a precipitation-free weekend like that since February! I can believe it... I do hope the warmer weather is here to stay because it feels just a bit strange to still be wearing my winter bathrobe on the chilly June mornings that we've had this year, that's for sure!

So--here's some good news! My wrist and thumb pain that I mentioned in my last post is 95% better. I so appreciate all of your well-wishes--they helped! Since I had some of you emailing and asking about the exercises I did to help overcome the pain, I thought I'd give you a link to them for any others who may be suffering. I did not go to a doctor, but am quite sure I had developed a condition called De Quervain's tenosynovitis which is common in people (especially women) who do repetitive activities such as playing the piano, typing, and, of course, our beloved stitching! Mine got so bad that I could barely grip a plate or pick up a jar. But, between wearing a brace like this one every night and doing the 12 exercises that are outlined in this article, I seem to have bounced back nicely. I am only putting this out there to offer an idea of what helped me... Always consult your doctor for anything serious!

A summer finish... My stitching time was limited in June due to my wrist issues, but I did manage to finish an older (2012) Chessie & Me design called "Scarlet's Summer Sampler." I am making a concerted effort to go through my older charts and stitch them instead of being lured by the exciting new designs out there. I'm so pleased with this one--I mean who doesn't love a sweet red house, a beehive, and four gentle sheep grazing in a flower-strewn meadow on a lazy, summer day?

Scarlet's Summer Sampler finish

Here are a couple of close-ups for you. I had to convert every single color as it was charted for silks...  I simply chose some similar overdyed colors--much less expensive and I think it turned out great!

Just look at those tiny buzzing bees!

Unfortunately, I have no idea what fabric was used for this--it is a piece of 40 ct. "mystery" linen that I've had in my stash for a long time. It was a great color to use because the sheep show up so well. The date in the upper left was charted for 1822, but that date meant nothing to me so I changed it to 1895--the birth year of both of my grandmothers. If you've ever stitched a Chessie & Me design, you know to expect specialty stitches. The roof is done in satin stitch as is the bee hive. The sheep are all smyrna stitches and the four-sided stitch in black borders the entire sampler.  

Lots of specialty stitches in this one!

Two new Christmas ornaments... What's a stitcher to do when she is blessed with not one, but two new great-nephews in the past six months? Why, stitch them each a Christmas ornament, of course! This is the fourth time I've stitched this sweet gingerbread boy ornament and I'm pleased to say that the parents were so excited. The design can be found in the JBW Designs "Baby's First Christmas" chart and is stitched on 32 ct. black Belfast linen with DMC threads. Rather than stitching the words "Baby's First Christmas" as were charted, I stitched each baby boy's name.

Two new Christmas ornaments for two new great-nephews

I included a tiny white pompom and red beads on his hat

I'm so happy to have met both of my great-nephews while they are still young. They both live far away so who knows how often I'll get to see them. Here is a photo of my dear 92-year-old mom cradling her 2 month old great-grandson... so sweet! It's amazing how much time we all spent simply gazing at this little cutie when we all got together in New York earlier this month... No television, computers, or phones are required for entertainment when a new baby is around!

The oldest and the youngest in my family

I was so touched to receive a gift from dear Mary at Stitching Friends Forever last week. She wanted to let me know she was thinking of me and hoping my wrist would start feeling better very soon. In her note, she explained that she had come across this cut of linen printed with a rabbit and thought of me so she sent it my way along with a beautifully handmade card. Mary, that was so kind of you--you know how much I love rabbits and I'll have to find the perfect way to use your pretty fabric. She thought he would make a nice project bag and she's right (if I can get up my nerve to try making one!). Thank you again, my friend...

A thoughtful get-well gift from Mary at Stitching Friends Forever

And over on Instagram, I won an amazing getaway from Tracy (handstowork). Tracy was having a birthday and offered these beautiful skeins of Weeks Dye Works to the first person in the U.S. who guessed how old she was going to be. I mean--just look--66 gorgeous shades of stitchy goodness! Thank you so much, Tracy, for your very generous gift--you know these will be put to good use! If you aren't on Instagram, please consider checking it out--such wonderful inspiration and so many supportive, kind stitchers are there. You can follow me on Instagram right here! 

My fabulous rainbow of threads giveaway win from Tracy on Instagram!

Chart Giveaway... Recently, I was leafing through old cross stitch magazines when I spotted this charming patriotic chart called "A Pride of Patriots." Isn't it cute with the colonial-garbed citizens celebrating freedom in a 4th of July parade?  Would any of you like it? If more than one person wants this, I will have a random drawing. This is just a few pages removed from the (Cross Stitch & Country Crafts July / August 1990) magazine--not the whole magazine. I will be folding them and mailing in a legal sized envelope to save on mailing costs. I'll keep the drawing open until the 7th of July and announce the winner the following week. Important: PLEASE make sure to include your email address if you are entering (and I don't already have it) and make sure to specifically leave a comment that you want to be entered. Good luck to all!

If you would like to win this patriotic chart, just leave a comment stating so along with your email address!

A great movie... My husband was on a bike ride for much of last weekend, so I took that time to watch a romantic comedy on Netflix (something he is not into!) and was very pleasantly surprised by it. "About Time" is an older film from 2013 starring Rachel McAdams (whom I love) as the wife of a man who can travel back in time. I don't want to spoil it for those of you who haven't seen it, but it is one I am going to persuade my husband to watch with me as I actually think he'll like it, too. 

It really makes you think about how you live each day... Are you a glass half-full or half-empty person? If you had the chance to re-live a day, would you? Are there things you would have done differently over the course of any given day? I am a bit of a "glass half-empty" person, I'm afraid, as I am a terrible worrier. My husband always says that if I didn't have anything to worry about, I would invent something!  And he's right... But, something my youngest son said to me way back when he was about 15 really made me think. He said, "Mom, you're so negative!" I was shocked as I had never thought of myself that way, but from that point on, I've really made an effort to be more positive-minded and hope for the best. It definitely helps to "think positively"--I've seen it in action. So, if you have a spare couple of hours, sit down with a friend or loved one and watch "About Time." I think you'll be glad you did! 

We're going to be doing a bit of landscaping this fall as everything is now over 20 years and is looking rather wild and overgrown. Outside our kitchen window are three hydrangea bushes which have barely bloomed except for the first year or two... Lots of beautiful foliage like the one below, but few (if any!) flowers. 

Lots of healthy, green foliage, but no flowers on this hydrangea bush

So, our landscaper suggested digging them up and trying something new. We were all ready to sign off on the final plans (that included digging up the hydrangeas) when I said to my husband, "I just can't do it--I keep  hoping they'll bloom again." Well, just look at this--two of the bushes are still almost barren of buds, but the third one (the one that was the worst performing of the three all these years!) is just loaded with flowers! I'm in heaven as hydrangeas are probably my very favorites!

But, just look at this blooming beauty not even six feet away!

Big, beautiful flowers... I might add. What do you think? Did the positive thinking on my part help in any way? I like to think so!

This is one giant single flower!

It always delights me to see two totally different colored flowers on the same hydrangea bush!

With so much rain, all of my flowers are looking wonderful this year! How is your garden doing?

I'm sure all the rain and the diligent use of deer-away spray have helped our garden this year. Clockwise from the top are pink mandevilla, white astilbe, yellow tuberous begonias, and purple and white alyssum.

So, that's about it for June! I really hope to be back with some finished ornaments in July now that my wrist is better. I hope your summer is off to a great start and will be filled with lots of relaxation, reading, and stitching time. We have some big travel plans coming up which I'm excited about (a bit nervous, too!) and I hope you'll get to take some trips of your own this summer--even if it's just a day trip here and there. It's always nice to explore beyond your own backyard, isn't it?  Thank you, as always for visiting me today and for taking the time to say "hello" and leave a comment. Please make sure to include your email if you're entering the drawing for the patriotic chart, too! Bye for now...