Is it Too Late?

Is the week before Thanksgiving too late to post Halloween pictures? I kept telling myself I needed to get this done, but the days just keep slipping by!


So, I was involved in Halloween exchanges for two different groups, and I never showed what I sent for the second group. My package went to Manu in Germany, and SHE posted about it right away - LOL. I stitched her a Mill Hill Beaded and Buttoned kit called Spooky Garden - I love stitching these with all the beads - they really sparkle, which of course you can't see in the picture!!

I was told that Manu loves Halloween stuff - the gorier the better, and I was able to find her some really fun stuff - including a skull and a bloody dripping sign saying "Keep Out". I also sent her my "famous" Ghost Poop, which is ADDICTIVE! It's SO easy to make too. You just melt some almond bark on low heat in the microwave and pour it over puff corn (like cheese puffs, but without the cheese - Old Dutch and Barrel of Fun both make this and you can find it in the chip isle), then you stir to coat well, spread out on a cookie sheet to dry, then break into little "poops" - you can make it for Christmas too and call it Snowman Poop. It's got that wonderful sweet-salty thing going for it! YUM!


I also have a picture of my Halloween tree, although it's not the best pic. I love having my tree decorated for different holidays!! And now it's just about time to bring out the stitched Christmas ornies!!


Now, let's make sure I'm not posting Christmas stuff a week before Valentine's Day! LOL

Exchanges, Round Robins and Ornies, Oh My!

Wow, have I had a lot going on the past few weeks!! I received another Halloween Exchange package, this one from Debs. She stitched me the most adorable set of ornies by Bright Needle called Hatz Boo-tique. This was her first over-one project, and she did a fantastic job . She also made me this cute beaded fob (complete with scissors!) with a jack-o-lantern bell on the end - my girls think that's particularly fun! LOL They've been trying to play with it while they're laying on my lap when I stitch.


Also in the package was some fun finger puppets, two light-up necklaces, a bag of Candy Corn (yum!) and a skein of Waterlilies Glowing Embers. Thanks again for the fun package Debs!!


And I had a Halloween package received as well. My package went to Vicky, and I stitched for her the Drawn Tread Halloween House. It's stitched on Sugar Maple Fabrics Squall, which I thought looked perfect for this design! I switched out some of the fibers as well, substituting what I had on hand. This is the same chart I used for Leigh's Drawn Thread House RR , except this time, I got to stitch the whole chart ;) I want to stitch it again for myself- I have just enough of this fabric left to stitch it over one!


I also knit Vicky a scarf - the yarn is Moda Dea Vixen in Licorice Whip! I thought it was perfect for Halloween.













I've also been busy with Round Robins. On Nancy's Drawn Thread RR, I stitched my four girls :)















And here is a pic of her whole RR so far - isn't it beautiful? Nancy asked us each to stitch a quote or verse that means something to us - I really like this idea, and it's making for a wonderful, personal RR!



For this round of the Quaker RR in my local group, I stitched on Kelly's piece. I stitched the corner motif and crown, both from the Ackworth Pattern Book - I'm SO glad I have this book, I can't tell you how handy it is!








And Sherie stitched on my RR - here is the progress so far. I'm anxious to see how these progress!







And as for ornies, I received this cute Halloween ornament for my tree from Laura. It's from Just Nan's chart Moon Riders. Isn't it adorable? Thanks so much Laura!

I've also gotten caught up (believe THAT or not!) with my Christmas ornie RR.






First I stitched Marilynne's ornament, which was Suzann's Designs O Christmas Tree from the 1998 Just Cross Stitch Ornament Issue, then I stitched Kathy's choice, which was Prairie Schooler Winter from the 2006 issue.


And last, but certainly not least, I got more yarn and beads from Jodi! She sent one skein of Bernat Frenzy in the color Outrageous Orange and three skeins of Yarn Bee Elf in Raisin. These should make some fun scarves! And she sent black leaves for me to make a Halloween tree pin! Thanks for the goodies Jodi! :)

What a Great Mail Week!!

It's been a long week, but I've gotten some great packages to keep me going! LOL

On Wednesday, I got a package from Jodi with some more beads and ornies. She found me more leaf beads so I can make another tree pin. She also sent me a ring blank - I'm anxious to try making this. And she sent some holiday embellishments - I love the Christmas lights!


And Jodi found these wonderful ornaments that she thought would look good on my Halloween tree - I'm hoping to get that decorated later today. I'm actually going to try to put out all of my stitching sometime today - I think fire season should be over, and I'm really missing having all my treasures around. Even DH is asking when I'm going to put everything out again! Thanks for the goodies Jodi!!

Thursday my Just Cross Stitch Ornament issue showed up, although I didn't find it until Friday morning - LOL. There are a couple of really cute ornies in there that I hope to stitch someday.


And on Friday, I got the most wonderful Autumn Exchange package from Danya! I was so excited when I saw her name on the return address because she and her daughter Vicki do such amazing bead work - I was just hoping that there was something beaded in the package, and I wasn't disappointed!! Danya sent me all kinds of wonderful Halloween goodies - two dish towels (with kitties!), two candles (one witch's hat and one jack o' lantern), a stuffed pumpkin and some Hershey's chocolates. Plus she sent a bead scoop and some glass kitty beads.




Danya made me THREE beaded things! A bracelet with pumpkins and black and purple beads, the most amazing witch earrings (complete with brooms and striped socks on their legs!) and a fantastic tomb stone scissor fob!! I just love them!! Oh, and the fob was attached to a pair of Gingher scissors - I'm always happy to grow my scissor collection! LOL


On top of all of that, Danya stitched me four great ornaments for my Halloween tree - and they are finished into these cute felt pumpkins! Thanks so much for the wonderful exchange package!

Playing Catch-Up! LOL

I can't believe it's been so long since I've posted! I got a second job at a local bakery, and it's REALLY cutting into my stitching time, not to mention my computer time! LOL




So, what have I been up to lately? I finished my Halloween scarf. I can't wait to start wearing it! I really liked working with this yarn, it's soft and "squishy" LOL.












I also received several packages from Jodi - my personal shopper! ROFLOL She found some more great yarn for me. Two skeins each of Moda Dea Dream in Lavender and Air Force. These will make beautiful scarves!! The Lavender will be for Jodi, and the Air Force (blue) will be for a gift for someone special ;)

She also sent me more of the Yarn Bee Mosaic Twist (the yarn my Halloween scarf is made of). These are Rum Raisin and and Sunrise.



And she found some more yarn for my crochet scarf I want to make - that makes six different yarn! This will be a really fun scarf! You can see the rest of them on my original post. These two are Yarn Bee Airy in Cream and Brown. It has some metallic in it, and should look really good in the scarf. And next to it is some Lion Brand Fun Fur (I love scarves made with Fun Fur! LOL) in Tropical.


In addition to all they fun yarns, Jodi also sent a bag of beads from broken jewelery that she picked up at a local shop. I should be able to make some fun stuff with this. I'd like to figure out how to get some of those brown beads into my crocheted scarf!


And she sent me another ornament for my Halloween tree. I think NOW it's time to decorate it!! LOL
Thanks again for ALL the goodies Jodi. I love getting "care packages" from you! :)


So, in addition to all the stuff I received, I've also sent out a few things. First was Ming's birthday, and I made her a biscornu with two quaker medallions from the Ackworth School Pattern Book. This was part of a set that several of us in my Yahoo group made for her with the same fabric and thread. I love how this turned out! The thread is a Carries Creations Threads in Eggplant. It's a little bigger than any boscornu I've made before, but I actually liked the size.


The other package I sent out was for Betsey in my other Yahoo group. She loves La-D-Da, so I stitched her Mares Eat Oats and made it into a pinkeep. I used the recommended threads and fabric, but I stitched it over-one. I was quite pleased with how it turned out.

I also knit Betsey a scarf. I used Sensations Cello in Dark Multi. It's another great eyelash yarn that makes wonderful scarfs!

So, I think that pretty much covers what's happened in the last three weeks. I'll have more soon. I'm working on two RR's and two Halloween exchanges. :)

GCC Supplies and a New RR

This week I got my supplies for my EGA GCC "To the Acorn" by Pat Krahn. I'm using a Gloriana I had in my stash called Fallen Leaves (#046). Isn't it pretty? I picked coordinating silks from my Hand-Dyed Fibers sample book by Victoria Clayton. I order the Premium, which I haven't tried before, in Night Smoke 5311, Fish Pepper 4429, Bitter Bloom 4443, Chocolate and Fish Pepper 4415. My linen is a cream Belfast. The only other thing I need to pick up is the perle cotton. I'm excited to start this, but it may have to wait for a month or too - I've signed up for too many exchanges! LOL It's due on April 16th, so I can't put it off for too long!



And I've started a new RR with my local stitching group. We're doing a Quaker RR, and it'll be fun to see how everyone enjoys it - this is the first RR that the other ladies have ever done. We're all using the same fabric, but everyone has basted theirs to a different size. I did mine for a finished size of 10x14, hoping I can find a ready made frame for it. And the silk I'm using is one that Vikki dyed for one of the Dyer's Collaboration Packs a few years ago, and it's called Road Kill Iguana. I LOVED the name (and the colors), so I ordered all that she had left - LOL. This is the first time I've used it for anything and I think so far it looks great! My center motif is is from the With My Needle Chart Ackworth Friendship Book by Ellen Chester. I'll add my initials and the date finished when it returns home to me. The RR that I was suppose to get Wednesday wasn't ready yet, so I should get it in a week or two. I have PLENTY to work on 'till then! LOL

Way, Way, WAY Too Close For Comfort!!

OK, so DH and I ran a few errands late yesterday afternoon, and as we turned to start going up the hill to where we live, DH said "There's smoke behind the house." OK, panic time! When we got home, I ran into the house, got the cat carriers out and then grabbed the camera. This is the picture I took from right outside our garage.



It hadn't been going for very long - the Fire Department hadn't even shown up yet - and I was a "tiny" bit nervous until they got there. Pretty soon I could hear sirens, but it seemed to take FOREVER for them to actually get up to the fire. I felt SO much better once they were there!! DH was out on the deck taking pictures and I started gathering clothes in case we had to leave. We were lucky that the winds seemed to be blowing away from the house and up the hill, and I was actually able to relax a little. It was really interesting to watch the fire fighters work - and I REALLY appreciate them!!!


We stood out there for almost two hours - I even made a snack that we ate out there while we watched - LOL When the wind changed, the smoke started blowing towards us and we were able to joke about how it smelled like a camp fire and we should have brought some hot dogs to roast.


There were still a few fire trucks out there 'till after midnight - and some trucks were back in the morning too.

All in all, everything worked out fine - they had the fire under control and were able to get it out pretty quickly under the circumstances - but it's something I NEVER want to have to watch from my deck again!!

A Visit from the Yarn Fairy!!

Today I got a huge package of yarn from Jodi! A week or so ago she sent me the one in the middle and I showed her a scarf I wanted to make using this, but I'd need additional different yarns. The scarf was featured on Uncommon Threads on DIY Network. It's basically just crocheted chains of different yarns that are gathered and tied in a knot at each end - very fun and funky. And since I don't really crochet, being just a chain stitch, it'll be easy too! LOL Anyway, Jodi was able to find me three other wonderful yarns that coordinate with this first one. I think these will make a great scarf! From left to right: Carron Jewel Box in Moonstone, Moda Dea Dream in Nutmeg, Yarn Bee Hollywood Special Effects in Leading Man, and Moda Dea Zing in Chestnut. All such warm and wonderful colors! And the Dream is SO soft - it would make a great scarf all on its own.


Jodi also sent another skein of Lion Brand Fun Fetti, this time in Firecracker Red. And she found the cutest ornament for my Halloween tree while she was in Iowa! I just love it! Is it too early to start decorating for Halloween? LOL

Thanks for the wonderful package Jodi! I can't wait to make that scarf!

And an update on the two wool scarves I knit with yarn from my neighbor - she picked the Elongated Brick one! That one seemed to be a favorite with those who saw the pictures. I might have to make another one - LOL.