Spooky Hallowe'en Mystery Phrase Blog Hop

Happy Halloween and welcome to the annual Trick or Treat Blog Hop organized by Jo over at Serendipitous Stitching.  If you aren't familiar with the blog hop, please start at Jo's blog (click here) and start at the beginning.  Hop through the blogs (leaving comments if you choose, we all love to hear what you are thinking!) and collect the letters to create a phrase.  You are almost there!  Have you found all your letters?  This is your next to last stop.  Your letter is....

and now you'll be hopping back to Serendipitous Stitching (click here) for the final letter.  

I stitched this little piece for an exchange one year, it was hard to part with!  LOL  

And this is one I received in an exchange.  

I'll leave you with a couple pictures of my favorite trick or treater.  She sure has grown since last year!  

Happy Halloween and Happy Stitching! 

International Hermit and Stitch Weekend October

I know I'm a little late posting, it's been a crazy weekend.  While I didn't get to hermit....I did get some stitching done.  My family and I were at the beach over the weekend celebrating my birthday!  We were pretty busy so I really didn't get to take too many pictures.  I was only able to work on one project (though I did have a few with me).  I was able to finish it off today, so I'll show the beginning and the finished piece.  This is called Secret Visitor, by Ellen Maurer-Stroh.  It was originally a free one she offered but has since removed it from the website.  

As I mentioned, we went to Ocean City for an extended weekend for my birthday.  Part of my gift was a shopping spree at the Salty Yarns in Berlin, Maryland.  Besides getting some needed fabric and floss, I found a few patterns.  I can't wait to get started!  We had a wonderful time shopping, wandering the beach, visiting Sun Fest, exploring new restaurants, and just enjoying one another's presence.  I love spending time with my son and his family...especially our entertaining granddaughter, who made friends and fans wherever we went.  She sure is a people magnet!  LOL!!  I love to capture sunrise and sunset pictures...our lodging faced both east and west!

With a lot of medical appointments on the horizon, I don't know how much stitching I get in the near future, but I'm looking forward to putting my sore knee up and getting some rest...it was a fun, but exhausting weekend.  Hopefully I'll have more stitching to show you soon!  Happy Stitching!

October Gifted Gorgeousness

It's been a busy month...but then October usually is.  My birthday is in 3 days, and my family like to spoil me...lol.  So...my thoughts might be a little scattered.  So...let's see where I'm at...  The 15th is the day of the month we post about our Gifted Gorgeousness.  This is anything with the word gift associated with it.  Jo, over at Serendipitous Stitching is our lovely host and she has rules posted on her blog.  We stitch each month, then showcase things associated with gift and link up on her blog.  (click here)  

I've been working on fully finishing tons of ornaments.  I posted as I went along, but I'll show a group of the ones I've finished stitching AND fully finished since the last GG post.  If you want to know information on these you can find the individual pictures on my 2023 Goals page.  All of these are gifts for others. 

I've been working on Wonders of the Hubble Space Telescope SAL by Climbing Goat designs.  I was a little bit behind when the last part was published on the 10th.  I'm halfway through the 7th part and have the 8th part to stitch to catch up.  I have loved stitching this, even though it is chock full of confetti stitching.  LOL  That really slows my stitching down...wish me luck for the rest of the boxes!  This was a gift from my husband for my birthday last year.

I worked a bit on Beatrix Potter, I hope to get back working on her as soon as I'm caught up on Wonders.  This was a gift from my husband for Christmas last year.

I've been working a tiny bit on Peppermint Purple SAL 2023.  It's been a few weeks since I put another stitch in...I do love this, just lost patience with the border.  Because this is a free SAL I consider it a gift from the designer.

I guess that's all I have to show for this post.  I've been praying for all the violence in the world right now.  My heart is breaking for those innocents who have been caught in the middle.  I hope you all are safe and healthy!  Happy Stitching!

Even More Fully Finished!

I hope you don't get tired of seeing all these ornaments...Since starting a few challenges a couple of years ago, I have been piling up Christmas ornaments (and other projects) at an alarming rate!  I have quite a few boxes full of finished things, I really need to get busy finishing them up and giving them away.  Anyway...I missed going to the Orioles game last Saturday (the first day of the playoffs) because I wasn't feeling too well...so I sat all weekend and finished off a few more ornaments.  Here are the fruits of my labor...lol...if you want to know the information I have (that I can remember) please go to the 2023 Goals page and look under the fully finished category.  You will find the most recent finishes at the bottom with all the information that I could scrounge up or remember.

I had been at Hobby Lobby last week looking for trim and other means of finishing things...and I turned down an aisle as a man was rearranging shelves.  Off to one side I found three different sized cutting boards.  As I was looking at them, I saw that only one (the largest) had a price tag so I asked the guy how much they were.  He gave me prices and then said they were on sale, 90% off.  I nearly dropped my stuff!  LOL!!  He told me I would be doing him a favor if I bought them all...so I did.  All three totaled $3.00!  When I got home and was sorting through the ornaments I would be finishing next, I stumbled across a few stockings AND this one that said "The Stockings Were Hung".....and a lightbulb went off!  I still need to attach the stitching, and I'm going to add a few charms to either side and maybe a bow...and some cup hooks to the underside of the board to hang the stockings from....but I'm so excited about how I'm going to finish this!!  Isn't it funny how things just happen to work together?  

So I guess that's all I have to share.  I'll be super busy the next couple of weeks, but I'll be back on the 15th with my Gifted Gorgeousness post.  Until then, Happy Stitching!

 

Sampler September

Well it was all over Facebook...or at least wherever I was looking...about Sampler September, so I thought I would join in.  My husband bought me this sampler with the floss for Christmas last year and I had been itching to start it.  September gave me a good excuse.  So...I started on September 1st.  This is Beatrix Potter Quaker Sampler.  I wasn't sure about the floss at first, but the farther I go the more I love it!  The frame I'm using is kinda big...so it hurts my wrist to work on it for too long, but with a little luck I'll finish it in time for the fair next year.  Wish me luck!  

That's all I have for today...Thanks for visiting and Happy Stitching! 

Ornaments Galore!

Well who knows what each day will bring?  I've been working on finishing up all the ornaments from this year's challenge.  It's been...well...a challenge!  LOL!!  But I decided that this year, if I stitched an ornament, I would finish it within the year!  Yay!!  Only two more to go and they will take some brain power to fully finish...lol!!  Yesterday I finished up the last ornament for the challenges this year...whew!  It was this one...Holly 'N Hardanger by The Sweetheart Tree from the 2005 JCS Ornament issue.  

It's stitched on 32 count natural opalescent over two.  I've had this in my to do pile for ages, but with all the recent hardanger I've been working on this year, I finally decided to give it a go.  I finished stitching it yesterday and fully finished it right after.  I've had a lot of ornament finishes this year, this may be close to my favorite!  

I then pulled out the others I finished stitching this year and fully finished these...  Little Reindeer by Suzanna Lima Cross Stitch (2022 JCS Ornament Issue)  stitched on 40 count white over two.  

Snow In Love by  Alice Okon Needleart (2016 JCS Ornament issue) stitched on 28 count cream over one.  

Deck the Haul by Saving Grace Needlearts (2022 JCS Ornament issue)  Stitched on 14 count white perforated plastic  

Love & Joy by From The Heart Needlearts (2022 JCS Ornament Issue) Stitched on 32 count Pearl Grey over one  

and Polar Night Sighting by StitchSprout (2023 JCS Ornament Issue)  Stitched on 40 count white over two.  

As I was looking for something (isn't that the way we always find those forgotten treasures?) I stumbled across a this one, that I dearly love (except for his face, for some reason I just didn't like how it looked when done) and thought it needed to be hung on a tree this year.  This is Santa Claus Is Coming To Town by Vermillion Stitchery (1999 JCS Ornament Issue) which has been languishing in a box since 2019..yes it's been sitting around for over 4 years!!! It's stitched over one but I have no idea what fabric it's stitch on.

I found a whole bunch more that I finished stitching years ago!  I really need to get some finishing done!  Stay Tuned!!  LOL  I see a lot more finishing coming up!  

I must have been super excited about finishing, I really don't remember my fingers working as I was watching the Baltimore Orioles clinch the American League East Championship which will put them in the playoffs without the wild card runoff.  It was their 100th game and there was a lot of celebration going on!  My family was at the game (minus me...I wasn't feeling too well, but I'll be at the game tonight!)  I'm super excited for my son as he has followed the Orioles since he was 6 years old and this was a dream come true for him!  Ok, I'm off to find out what mischief I can get into today and get myself ready for the game tonight!  I hope you all are having a fabulous day...Happy Stitching!

IHSW September 2023

Hi Folks!  Last weekend was International Hermit and Stitch Weekend.  I was a little disappointed as I knew it would be a busy weekend.  Not to mention, I was extremely tired.  Mr. Sandman hasn't visited in ages so I haven't been sleeping too well, which makes it really difficult to stitch.  I babysat on Friday until late in the evening.  I love our Granddaughter and never miss a chance to spend time with her.  But she does keep me hopping!  LOL!!  Top that off with potty training, and I was running up and down stairs with her until I put her to bed.  Still I did get some time to stitch on Beatrix Potter by StitchyBox.  I love how this is turning out, though at first I wasn't sure if I would like the color my husband chose.  He used the recommended thread, and looking at it at first I wasn't sure.  I thought about substituting some silk floss, but in the end decided to go ahead with the floss he chose.  I LOVE it now!  I'm stitching on 28 count Vellum over one.  I love this fabric too!  Here is my progress.  

On a non-stitch related topic, our Baltimore Orioles have clinched a spot in the playoffs!  I can't express how excited our family is.  We love the Orioles and have stuck by them through thick and thin, but this team has us so excited and inspired.  They just never give up!  The last two games were so exciting until the very last walk off win!  We will be watching them well into October now and hoping for them to participate in the World Series.  Fingers, toes and even eyes crossed!  

Ok, I'm off to see what I'll be stitching on today.  While I love Beatrix Potter Quaker, it's a large project and my hands are tired from holding the frame.  I think I'll work on something a little smaller to give them a break.  Happy Stitching!