Summertime stitching and a quick visit to Rome

Thank you! Thank you! I was so touched by the kind comments on my previous post about my youngest son's wedding. I never, ever want to come off as though I'm bragging--I'm just not that type of person... So, I hesitated to even post my photos and descriptions of that magical day. On the other hand, this blog is like my (not too personal) diary so I just had to include memories from that special family occasion. I appreciate each of your thoughts--stitchers are absolutely the nicest people! Thank you again!

So, July is nearing its end and what a summer it's been so far: extreme temperatures worldwide, tornado activity in spots where it's not common, and tropical storms. And let's not forget the horrible air quality (our Air Quality Index was at 368--in the hazardous category--last week) we've experienced due to the wildfire smoke drifting both down from Canada and up to Canada due to our wildfires here in the U.S.  It's so different than the summers I remember while growing up in the 50s and 60s in upstate New York. Yes, there were occasional uncomfortably hot days, but my summer was filled with playing outdoors with all the neighborhood kids from dawn to dusk: pick-up baseball games in the nearby park, roller skating and riding our bikes up and down the street, lazily reading book after book on my shady front porch, and playing kick-the-can until the street lights flickered on and it was time to head home. I wonder how many kids are able to enjoy these things on a daily basis with the climate changing the way it is? 

Summer stitching has been calling my name as I have very few purely summer related pieces to put out once I take my patriotic decor down. Oh, I have my bee and sunflower stitching, but I want more things that are pure summer. After many, many years, I finally finished the fourth and final chart from Prairie Schooler's "Country Seasons" (book no. 123): Summer. I had stitched the other three back in 2006 (Winter), 2007 (Spring), and 2008 (Fall) even before I began blogging in 2009! For some reason, the summer design just didn't catch my interest the way the other three had, so I kept putting off stitching it. But, it ended up being pretty cute, don't you think?

The fourth season, Summer, is finally stitched!

This one turned out smaller than the previous three because I stitched it on 40 ct. platinum Newcastle. I believe the others were stitched on 16 ct. aida and 32 ct. jobelan, but I'm not positive since I wasn't recording my finishes way back then. I've used the same frame to display each of the other three when I change them out for the season, but I'm afraid this frame is just too large for the smaller Summer finish. I'll have to figure something else out. Below I'm sharing all of the seasons--which one is your favorite? I especially love Autumn because the colors are so bright and vibrant!

All the seasons from PS. Book No. 123: "Country Seasons"

You may remember this charming Madame Chantilly piece called "Celebrate Summer" which I shared three years ago in this post. Well, I finally got around to framing it with a rustic, weathered looking frame which I purchased online from Franken Frames. Why, oh why do I procrastinate so long when it comes to framing? This was a particularly easy piece to frame as there were no straight borders to deal with on the stitching itself. As always, I use the framing method in this tutorial by Brenda Gervais. If you are on the fence about attempting to frame things yourself, give this method a try--it really isn't difficult!

My largest summer finish--finally framed!

 

It will be so nice to have this larger summer piece framed and on display for the next couple of months. That grinning whale and little girl in her vintage bathing costume always make me smile. 

I think I'll be stitching the "Celebrate Fall" chart from this series next and I plan on using the same frame.

Even though the Fourth of July has passed, I want to share my red, white, and blue stitching and decorating with you! Also, having photos to refer to, makes it extremely easy for me to decorate from one year to the next :) 

The sideboard in my kitchen all done up in red/white/and blue for July

How about some close-ups? If you have questions on any of these, just email me and I'll try to help!

 

 

This little patriotic display is the centerpiece on our kitchen table for the month.

 

And, last, but not least--the kitchen corner cupboard all dressed up for the Fourth, too.

Garden update... In spite of the sweltering heat and lack of rain, our garden has fared quite well due to the irrigation system my husband installed a few years ago...

We're growing corn this year for the first time, although these may turn out to be the smallest ears on record :) 

 

We picked a good amount of blueberries in spite of a nasty raccoon breaking into our fenced-in garden (he crawled right over!) and eating at least half of the berries.

 

Our blueberry haul so far--there are more to be picked!

 

I love looking out the kitchen window and seeing these happy sunflowers nodding in the breeze in our garden.

Books... I seem to be listening to more and more books rather than reading them. I love hearing the different voices and the way I can picture the characters in my mind so much clearer than when I read the words on a page. Two exceptional, although very different, books that I've enjoyed this month are "The Calamity Club" by Kathryn Stockett (the author of that wonderful book from 2009 "The Help") and "I See You've Called in Dead" by John Kenney. "The Calamity Club" is a b-i-g book at almost 29 listening hours/and over 600 pages! I hesitated to begin it for that very reason, but, honestly--I could barely stop listening it was so well done. I'm sure it's wonderful to read, too, but do yourself a favor and listen to it! "I See You've Called in Dead" was not a title that called to me, but I read the excellent reviews and I'm so glad I took a chance on it. It's a much shorter book (at just 7.5 listening hours/300 pages) and I listened to it over the course of two days while stitching, cooking, and cleaning. To read a bit more about each book, just click here for "The Calamity Club" and here for "I See You've Called in Dead."  Who else loves listening to books?

Two of my favorite audiobooks of all-time! Give them a listen! 

Travels...  As I promised in my post about the wedding, I'll be sharing some photos from our travels while we were in Italy. This first batch is from Rome where we spent just one full day before we drove up to the wedding venue which was almost three hours northeast. We rented an apartment for two nights to get an authentic Rome feel and to be able to walk to the main historical section. Rome itself did not appeal to me--let's say I'm so not a city girl! I found it hot, crowded, noisy, filled with graffiti, and cigarette smoke. The traffic was insane and I'm so glad my husband had hired a car to take us from the Rome airport (which was just rated the third-highest anxiety inducing airport in the world--you can read about the top ten here) to our rental apartment. That being said, I truly enjoyed a brief walk around the historic part of the city to witness those iconic sites in person. The sheer age of the remains of the ancient Roman empire just makes my head spin...

This was the view from our apartment rental in Rome's Ludovisi neighborhood. Simply lovely!

 

Since we arrived very late in the afternoon, the only "touristy" thing we did that evening after dinner (pizza, of course, and, oh, was it tasty!) was walk to the Trevi Fountain. Although beautiful, it was absolutely mobbed with visitors. Rome has now instituted a two euro ticket for any non-resident wishing to go down to the water to toss their three coins. They are hoping this approach will help with crowd management. It's estimated the paid tickets will also bring in €6,000,000 a year in revenue. 

The following day, even though jet-lag was hitting hard, we wanted to do a quick walk past some of the ancient sites. They didn't disappoint!

What's a trip to Rome without at least a glimpse of The Colosseum--the largest ancient amphitheatre ever built. It could hold from 50,000-80,000 spectators depending on the time in history. We would have loved to do a proper tour, but there was simply no time.

 

The Temple of Venus and Roma is thought to be the largest temple constructed in ancient Rome beginning in 121 AD.

Remains of the ancient Roman Forum which, for centuries, was the center of daily life. Elections, triumphal processions, trials, speeches, and gladiator matches all occurred here. Just imagine all the history this site has witnessed over the years.

 

The Forum of Caesar was built around 54 BC to extend the historic Roman Forum and create more room for public meetings, processions, etc. 

The remains of the Temple of Venus Genetrix in the Forum of Caesar date back to 46BC.

The massive Victor Emmanuel II National Monument (also known as the Vittoriano) was built in the 19th century to honor Victor Emmanuel II, the first king of a unified Italy. 

After seeing a tiny portion of the ancient sites, we headed back to our apartment to cool off a bit. A beautiful park was located nearby so, after we rested for a while, we headed over and thoroughly enjoyed walking the paths of Villa Borghese. With almost 200 acres, the tree-filled park with many meandering paths felt a world away from the hustle and bustle of Rome's city center. 

So, there you have it--an extremely brief visit to one of the world's most historic cities. Would I go back? No... Rome was simply not my cup of tea, so to speak. I hated having to constantly worry about pickpockets and being harassed by people trying to sell me trinkets and such. But, I'm sure some of you have visited at less crowded times and loved it. In future posts, I'll be sharing more of Tuscany--a region that I definitely would go back to if given the chance! 

Today marks a very special moment in my life--on July 23, 1977 my husband and I walked down the aisle at the small Presbyterian church in my hometown and said our "I dos." Yes--49 years ago... We were two newly graduated 22 years olds--very young by today's standards, but completely normal back then. We have no regrets about getting married so young and are truly looking forward to celebrating our big 50th next year with a family trip.  Happy 49th to my dear husband--here's to many more years of love and laughter, fun family times, and further adventures!

Thank you all for stopping in today--it's always fun to read your comments and emails and I appreciate each and every one. I'll try to get back to posting twice a month in August. July just kind of got away from me! Take care now--and happy stitching! Bye for now...  

Christmas stitching as Spring approaches

Greetings on what was a sunny (but quite chilly!) last day of February! I always love having this "extra" day every four years, don't you? And to those of you born on February 29th--I bet you especially love it! Can you believe March begins tomorrow? February was a good month here--I felt we got a lot accomplished around the house. So many projects that we've procrastinated about for years are done--the main one being the wallpaper removal in our bedroom. My husband painted our bedroom last weekend and it's so wonderful to have the old wallpaper and chair rail gone and the room looking brighter and refreshed. It really gives me a lift when projects like this are finished. Next up? The dining room! I've been saying that for at least five years now, but that red paint in there has to go. I need something lighter and airier in my life right now rather than the red walls that were so popular for kitchens and dining rooms twenty years ago. 

Unfortunately, due to all of the house projects, my stitching time has been limited. I did manage to get my two ornaments finished for February and March, though. My taste in ornaments is very eclectic--have you noticed that? Last month, I stitched that elegant wreath with the cardinals and the two I have to show you today are just plain fun and whimsical. For February, I stitched yet another Crocette a Gogò design--the little gingerbread boy from the "Christmas Green Chic" pattern. I had a small scrap of a mystery sage green 40 ct. linen left and thought he would look perfect on it. I used most of the suggested DMC colors, but changed the gingerbread boy himself to DMC 167 and chose to use DMC 816 for all of the reds. A simple sage green cording and a row of rusty bells sewn to the bottom finishes him off quite nicely. He is very small--the finished pillow is just 3 inches square!

Too cute to eat! A new gingerbread boy ornament for February.

March's ornament is a bit larger even though I stitched it "over one" on 25 ct. vintage country mocha Lugana. This is "First Snow" by Annie Beez Folk Art and I actually used all of the suggested DMC colors (for a change!). I just love that little snowman head she used to represent the letter "O" in the word SNOW. The ornament is surrounded by cording in the same green I used for the pine needles (DMC 580) and the fabric you see on the larger circle is wool felt. I thought the green and cream checkered bow topped it off nicely. I did move around/add some snowflakes to achieve the round ornament I desired.

My finish of "First Snow" by Annie Beez Folk Art

I've had questions as to how I finish the back of this type of round ornament... Very simple! I just cut out a round piece of wool felt (in a coordinating color) to cover the area and use some spray glue to carefully press it in place (spray the piece of felt with the glue--not the ornament back). Below is what it ends up looking like. I do this to save both time and money on supplies. I'm not fond of bulky ornaments which happens when you add yet another covered fabric round to the back.

The felt covered back on my round ornament finish. Simple, but effective!

 

One additional ornament was sent out as a gift to a special friend who has a family member dealing with a very rare health issue. I just wanted to bring a smile to her face as she and her family deal with a very scary and worrisome situation. This is one you've seen before--a small motif from Madame Chantilly's "Celebrate Winter." It's stitched on 40 ct. raw natural Newcastle with some added snowflakes to shape it into an oval ornament. I love the little polka-dot bow and brass bell and so did the recipient. Thinking of you, my sweet friend--and sending caring hugs and prayers your way!

I love this motif of the sweet bird perched on the white house and have now stitched it four times!

The only other new things I "made" this month, were some tasty mini-Bundt cakes for my middle son's girlfriend's birthday on Monday. I didn't know what to bake, but decided on these cute little chocolate cakes using the recipe found right here. They were very rich and I could only eat half of mine! I used sour cream in this recipe, but I'll use buttermilk the next time as they were a bit dry for my taste. The recipe made 12, but I halved it for the four of us. Of course, whipped cream and fresh raspberries hopped on to the plate, too! Doesn't this little Bundt cake look pretty?

One of the Mini Chocolate Bundt Cakes for a birthday celebration

 

I had a wonderful trip down memory lane this past weekend. We were invited by friends to attend a musical tribute to Fiddler on the Roof on Saturday. I thought it was just going to be a selection of some of the musical numbers, but it turned out to be almost the entire play, dialogue and all! As soon as the orchestra began to play the first few notes, I was immediately transported back to my high school auditorium where our drama club performed Fiddler on the Roof to standing ovations in March of 1972. Imagine that... over fifty years ago and I could still remember (almost) every word to every song. I was one of the "villagers" in the play--no speaking part (heavens, I was way to shy even back then!). The villagers sang as a chorus, did a few (very minor) dance steps, and simply "created magic" as our director wrote in a letter to each of us after our play was over.  I smiled wistfully throughout most of the production on Saturday night as I remembered my high school friends who acted in the play with me and all the fun we had during those rehearsals so many years ago. I also got a bit teary-eyed during the very sad parts as the villagers are forced from their homes in the little town of Anatevka by the Russians (the very same thing that is happening in Ukraine today).  Anyway, it was a night I'll never forget...

I'm thrilled to report that my youngest son and his girlfriend returned safely from their vacation in Oman with glowing reviews. He said one of the best things was that where they were staying was within a two-hour drive of the mountains, the beach, or the desert. In fact, they even spent a night in the desert at a remote camp. I have since learned that Oman is considered the "Switzerland of the Middle East" due to it's neutrality so I guess I had nothing to worry about concerning their safety after all, did I? But, a mother always worries--even when her "baby" is 35 years old!

A beautiful view of the sun over the sand dunes in Oman sent by my youngest son

 

We've had a couple of huge rainstorms this past month and when that happens, we get what we call "the second pond," in our back yard. Oh, the deer just love to come visit it to get a drink of water and romp and splash through the giant puddle. Here they are with white tails flashing danger after they spotted me walking toward them... There were actually nine deer in the yard at that time, but the rest are out of the photo frame. I think that's the most we've ever seen at one time! Now, do you understand why growing flowers or vegetables outside of a fenced in area is impossible in this area?

The deer romping through the water in our "second pond" that forms after heavy rains.

 

And I saw my first robin of Spring last week--always such a joyous and welcome sight! Although this hasn't been a hard winter here, I still look forward to the beauty of spring--the longer daylight hours, the pretty pastel flowers, the smell of the fresh air wafting through open windows. Ahhh... I spotted these two new With Thy Needle and Thread designs last week (when I was buying some overdyed threads online) and I just couldn't resist them. How about you, are you buying/stitching anything fun for Spring? 

Two new additions to my Spring stitching line-up!

 

I want to thank you for your visit today! I'm so glad when I see your comments pop up letting me know who has stopped by... Thank you, each and every one, for your very kind emails and your words in the comment section. I do appreciate each of you--I hope you know that! Wishing you a wonderful March ahead filled with warmer days and lots of sunshine. Bye for now...

Welcome, March!

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...