It's Been a While!! (and Halloween!)

Dear Stitching Friends,

I have been a bad girl, and not doing much blogging for a while!  I really enjoyed my break...Summer was busy and HOT!  But our weather has broken now, and we are enjoying cooler weather for a change!

I have missed out on some wonderful stitching by all of you!  I'm going through blogs now and seeing what's been going on!  I did participate in an exchange, and I really enjoyed that.  I'm catching up on all of your news and I'll be trying to comment and respond! I had to re-sod a part of my yard--my only two year old sod!  Believe it or not, it got chinch bugs and they ate and destroyed a big path through my formerly beautiful grass!  It was dreadful, but I just bit the bullet and called the sod man and now it's looking great again!  I hope this is finished.  I will not be doing this every other year!!!

It's almost Halloween, so I have done some Halloween decorating!  I love my beautiful concrete lion that sits at my front door.  It was my mother's and I brought it to my house so I could enjoy it after she died.  She had the little mask for him, and I put a fluffy bow on him, so he could participate in the Holiday Festivities!  ha!

 

I also put up my Halloween tree, which I adore!  I think the bright orange and black is so much fun, and it makes me smile!  In addition to the little clear lights that came on the tree, I add little "candy corn" lights that make it even more festive!  They don't really show up too well here, but they are cute in reality!

 

I've actually done a little stitching and that's been fun.  You don't realize how much you miss it until you pick it up again!  I hope to have some finishes to show soon!

I can't do a post without including my two favorites.....Precious Omar is always ready to pose!  He approves of my new chair and is always happy to strike a very becoming pose!

Darling Zoe is just growing too fast!  My son wanted to go to Buffalo Wild Wings, (I didn't particularly!) but we went and she loved her little buffalo hat! ha  Apparently those fries are pretty good, too! ha

Thank you for visiting!  If you are reading this, then you are one of my very few readers that I still have!  oops!  I will try to work on that!

I hope things are going well for everyone, and that you are anxiously awaiting the Holiday Seasons that are upon us!  I will do my best to make another post in a reasonable amount of time! ha

Frances

Autumn is here and I'm a winner!

Hello Blogging Friends!  I'm excited that it finally feels a little bit like Autumn here!  And of course, it's time to show my Thanksgiving tree!  I have a few new little wooden pumpkins with words on them.  You can see the black one with "fall" on it at the top of the tree. There's a white one in the center of the tree with "harvest" on it.  Too, too cute!

This tree is always one of my favorites!  I love the fall colors and the leaves and turkeys! Such fun!  And then it's nonstop busy until after the first of the year!!!!  I will be hosting my family for Thanksgiving.  I've done it for a decade or so.  I always enjoy it.  We put up the Christmas trees right after Thanksgiving!  Things will be chaotic for a few days, and then it's time to sit back and enjoy!  I love this time of year!  I know you all are in the same boat, and I hope you will be enjoying these next few days!

Look at this cute car that was parked next to mine the other day!  I've never seen car eyelashes before, but it's clever, isn't it!!

We enjoyed a wonderful concert on Sunday afternoon!  Mannheim Steamroller is in the middle of their Christmas Tour and we were so lucky that they came to Jackson, MS!  I saw them once before and they are just fabulous.  I have all their Christmas CDs and am ready to get them out and listen!

My cat Omar has been so great and is so loving, sweet and devoted.  One of his favorite things to do is to jump on my clothes when I change.  He is particularly fond of my bra.....I guess it might be strange to post this--oh well, it's so funny!

You may remember that I am having some work done at our house.  I've had upholstery and they are painting now.  All is turning out well.  I ran in the paint store the other day, and I had forgotten that they put discontinued samples out on their porch for people to take if they want them.  They had several wallpaper books and some wood floor samples, which I passed by.  However, I was very weak and picked up 3 Kravet fabric books.  They are just gorgeous.  Some are embroidered taffetas and there are a number of polished cottons, too.  They are PERFECT for ornaments!  Just enough fabric and tons of choices! And yes, there were only 3 fabric books and I took all of them!!    oink, oink

And finally, I am a winner!!!!!  Nancy of Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe had a giveaway and I won three gorgeous hand-dyed pieces of Aida.  Aren't these colors lovely?  I am so thrilled.  These just scream Autumn!!!  The photo doesn't do them justice.

I have been stitching and I finished the little Prairie Schooler Halloween ornament I was stitching.  I started another little Christmas mini card, and I intend to actually start a Prairie Schooler Santa!  I also need to use some of this gorgeous new fabric!

Thank you for visiting and come back again soon!

Frances

Oh yes--I forgot to say that I had yet another kidney stone lithotripsy!  It's become so common that I don't even think about it--sorta like rotating tires!!!!  But, we're getting them all cleaned out!  Oh my

It finally feels like FALL! *Edited*

Hello Blogging Friends!
I'm making a big effort to try and post more often!

Since my last post, I went with my husband to one of his annual engineering meetings.  It was at the Beau Rivage, on the Mississippi Gulf Coast--a beautiful hotel/casino.  We've stayed there several times, just for something to do and a place to get away for a night. Anyway, one of the spouse activities is always BINGO.  They budget money for lovely gifts, and a door prize or two.  Various committee members go and select the gifts.  There are usually really fun prizes and it all works out great.  Except, sometimes I haven't won a prize......and that's not so much fun!  Hahaha!  This year was different, however!  The stars were aligned, or something, and I did manage to make a BINGO!  You go to several gift tables and select what you want!  In reading all of your blogs, I see that many of you have Vera Bradley bags of various sizes and styles.  I didn't have one, so I was lucky enough to capture this one:

It's a wonderful tote bag and the color is perfect for Fall!  I'm so pleased to be a winner!!! YAY!  Then, at the end of BINGO, they draw for door prizes, which can be anything.  This year there were three and the big one was a spa session at the hotel.  There were also two $100 bills.....and I won one of those, also!!!  I have never won the door prize there! So I can keep my $$ in my Vera Bradley bag!  This made it a fun little get away!!!

Below is another photo of my new kitty, Omar....he loves to sit on this rug!  Isn't he a pretty boy?

I think I have told you that I have a designer coming to help me get my house in order.  I have been frantically cleaning out and purging.  It is hard to do, but is really getting easier!  I am so glad to see things shaping up!  I didn't think I was going to do any re-upholstery, but I guess I am!  haha  These are my fabrics, all of which I love!  I can't wait to get it done and finished!  It has been a lot of fun.

I finally got my Halloween tree put up, and I love it!  Halloween ornaments are fun and cheerful!  (At least the ones I get are--I don't enjoy the scary ones!!)  This is one thing I edited!!!  I kept looking at the tree and thinking it looked ok, but something was different. THEN, I found the orange and black bow that I put at the top--so, I removed the other photo and put this one!!  haha

I have a good selection of cross stitch and bought items.  It's such fun, and this is a fun time of year.  Thanksgiving and Christmas follow, and I even have some New Year's ornaments that I made after January 1st.  That will be a new one for 2016!

 

My other edit is that I went in and tried to identify the various ornaments, and added a few other phtotos.  In the left photo, the top cute owl is designed by our friend Jacquie and was a freebie on her blog at one time.  The sweet "BOO" black cat is a Waxing Moon chart called #129 Black Cats' Halloween.
In the right photo is a cute little freebie called Halloween Delight! by La Chatelaine Designs.  It is so cute with the little black cats and beaded edge. I love the little "if the shoe fits" freebie.  It is several years old and I cannot locate it anywhere--does anyone recognize it??  The purple and black ornament is by Lizzie Kate "My Other Car is a Broom"!

On the left is a freebie from The Sisterhood--Boo! It's done on lavender Aida and I used Purple bat fabric and ribbon.  The cat and pumpkin is a French freebie from Nathalie and found on her blog.  It is backed in black velvet and the bottom features flat sequins.  Next is a sweet freebie from Homespun Elegance and I used some printed Halloween ribbon and backed it in the same fabric you see on the front.

                                          

Here's another freebie--but I can't find it online.  I have had some of my freebies for a while!!!  Sorry!

                                             

This cutie was in 2010 Just Cross Stitch Annual Halloween Issue,  It's by Casey Buonaugurio and is stitched on orange linen.

                                            

This little pumpkin freebie is by Judi Utter and can be found at Cyberstitchers.  Isn't it cute??


I have one little thing I'm working on for Halloween!  I must get on it fast--I don't have much done!!! I'm using a hand-dyed scrap of linen for a different look.   It's a little Prairie Schooler freebie card.  So cute, and working up sorta fast! I have a lot of those little cards and should make all of them because they are fast and too cute!

Thank you for stopping by and please come visit again soon!

Frances

Fall finish!

Lately I've "gotten back" a few small pieces I've stitched--my house is SO full and so are my walls!!  However, you know I love ornaments, so I'm turning them into ornaments so I can enjoy them!  This little squirrel was a very small framed picture I stitched for my father in 1982. He was very ill and died at a young age.  He used to love to watch the squirrels play in the yard--we lived in an older neighborhood with giant oak trees and squirrels everywhere!  I made this for him and he thought it was cute!  I gave him several "squirrel" gifts during those years!
Anyway, I decided it would be a perfect fall ornament.  It is stitched on brown Aida cloth.  I used a couple of fall fabrics and brown rick rack and leopard rick rack, accented with brown buttons.  I used a sheer brown and yellow ribbon for the hanger, attached with more brown buttons.  The backing is light brown with little mini pumpkins.
I have no idea who the designer was--I am thinking it might have been a note card.
**ALSO, in looking at this now, I'm wondering if it's actually a chipmunk???  (because of the coloring!)  Oh well, if it is, no one has ever said anything!  HA HA

I am putting up my Halloween tree now, so check back to see it!  Thank you for stopping by--please come back soon!
Frances