Candy Corn and This & That

 

Early Happy Halloween!!! I finished this Candy Corn cross stitch piece last week. The display piece is from Paisleys and Polka Dots. It had been purchased, painted, and assembled last year, but I had not stitched the candy corn piece until last week. The Candy Corn chart came from Stitching with the Housewives.

Speaking of candy corn, are you a fan of this seasonal sweet? I have always loved it, but it is a huge no- no for diabetics. I tried buying a bag and limiting myself to just a few pieces a day, but you can guess how that went. I finally had to toss the last half of the bag into the trash. . . I have absolutely no willpower. :-( Why, oh, why couldn’t candy corn be a healthy vegetable???

Cross Stitchers . . . La-D-Da has a cute Halloween cross stitch chart under its Freebie section. It’s too late to stitch this year, but I downloaded the chart for next year.

Stitchers . . .  If you enjoy any type of stitching, check out Christen’s Creations website. There is much to explore there including “Tips, Tricks, the Basics” and “Free to You.”

Reading Recommendation . . . I highly recommend the latest book by Doris Kearns Goodwin. An Unfinished Love Story: A Personal History of the 1960s is a fascinating look at that turbulent decade. Now I want to read her book about one of the key figures of that decade, Lyndon Johnson and the American Dream.

Finally, Election Day is only a few short days from now, and I think everyone can appreciate this meme.

Lord help us all.

Fall Tier by Erin Elizabeth Designs

 

I did a presentation at the Crosstown Quilters Guild on Tuesday. I told my fellow quilters that my goal was clear . . . I wanted to get a few of my fellow members to fall down the cross stitch and/or wool applique rabbit hole right along with me. ;-) Since I am still in my big, awkward boot, gathering pieces to bring with me was a challenge, but I believe I had more than enough samples. 

I did not have “Fall Tier” finished to bring, but I completed it yesterday. It is so cute!!!  I can say that as I was not the designer, just someone who enjoys stitching designs by Erin Elizabeth. Erin Wasilieff is a Canadian designer whose patterns/charts are whimsical and fun. I particularly enjoy her “tier” designs and  have two others already in my stash. Click on the photo to get a larger image and also do click on the link to visit her shop. Whether you cross stitch or not, her wonderful designs will put a smile on your face. 

This wood display piece is from Paisleys and Polka Dots. They offer DIY wood craft kits for home decorating and seasonal displays. As I have mentioned previously, the wood pieces are cut and you must paint and glue them together. There are two magnets glued to the main section, and I will place washers on the back of the cross stitch piece. (At present, it is simply leaning against the display as I didn’t want to risk hobbling down cellar in my big boot tonight to hot glue on the washers :-). That can wait until tomorrow. 

Last month I posted a beach cottage scene on this tiered display. The fun part is finding items to put on the sides of the piece. These two small wood pieces are also from Paisleys and Polka Dots. 

Over the weekend Emma and I stayed at ‘her home away from home,’ so Bailey’s folks could go to their son’s wedding. I brought cross stitching and a few books and the three of us had a lovely time.

One funny note, I gave such an enthusiastic presentation on Tuesday that I have already ordered a piece of wool for a new wool applique piece and a pattern for a big wool project. So much for stitching from stash; I’m absolutely incorrigible!!!  Gee, I wonder if I inspired anyone at the meeting? Time will tell. ;-)

Another FFO - Pumpkin Blossom Place

 

I have never signed up for a monthly cross stitch project before, but I couldn’t resist “Blooming Roots” by Stitching with the Housewives through the Fat Quarter Shop. Here is “Pumpkin Blossom Place” for October, the first in the series.  Each month will feature a home and a separate street sign. The chart comes along with Classic Colorworks floss. The orange and yellow background fabric came from my stash. I love how this turned out. :-)

Each month will be displayed on this wood piece purchased from Paisleys and Polka Dots. As I have noted previously, all the multiple pieces arrive unfinished. You must paint the individual  pieces and then glue them all together. Magnets are then hot glued to the display piece and washers to the back of the stitched pieces so it can be switched out each month.

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It’s October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, so it’s time for me to climb up on my soapbox to remind you to get your mammogram. No excuses accepted. Early detection saves lives. 

No Retreat for Me

 

I should be on my way to Maine right now to attend a cross stitching retreat in Augusta. My bag had been packed, my cross stitch pieces packed, and Emma’s bag had been packed for a stay at her home away  from home. (I’m blessed to have friends whom Emma loves and who welcome her when I go away.) My plan was to leave this morning and take my time heading up the coast. I was going to stop at Portland Head Light to do some photography. Unfortunately, a foot issue will keep me from attending. As you know if you follow my blog, because of a foot issue, I recently had to cancel attending a guild quilting retreat on the Cape. Things had been healing well, and I was really looking forward to this retreat, but it was not to be. Yesterday there was a problem which means no retreat for me. Yes, I will be off my foot again for at least a week until an infection clears and things heal once again. :-(

I’m super grateful that it happened while I was home and not while I was away. So, it means time again to just sit and stitch and read. I had preordered and received yesterday Doris Kearns Goodwin’s new book An Unfinished Love Story - A Personal History of the 1960s, which I know will be a fascinating read. 

I’m also grateful that I had a visit with my cousin Kristin and her girls (the Ladies Lunch group) on Tuesday. It was a perfect day for outdoor dining and our destination was Tony’s along Wollaston Beach. Tony’s is the place if you love lobster rolls which I do, but the other day I was in the mood for a whole belly fried clam plate . . . Yum! Yum! Yum! 

The cross stitch piece above by designer Priscilla Blain of Stitching with the Housewives was completed last year, but I wasn’t crazy about how I had finished it. When I saw this display piece on the Paisleys and Polka Dots website, I knew it would be perfect for this piece. Paisleys and Polka Dots sells kits that you paint and then assemble. I glued a magnet to the wood  piece and a washer on the back of the cross stitch, so that I will be able to use it to display other pieces.

Lastly, here’s a look at the table mat that I had made for the retreat. The small green wool square is where I could park my needle and next to it is a place for my scissors. The little Campbell Kids lunch box was a thrifting find, and it contains my other stitching accessories. 

Well, that’s it. I have a jigsaw puzzle on the sunporch, and if it isn’t too cool, I may work on it for a while. Sit, stitch, read, puzzle . . . decisions . .  decisions . . . decisions. :-)

Patriotic Cross Stitch and “The Dial of Destiny”

In my previous post, I urged you not to be afraid to go in close with your camera phone.  Here’s an image that I took simply by going in close with my iPhone. My daylilies are in bloom! They are beautiful, but I sure wish that in spite of their name the individual blossoms lasted longer than a day.

It has been a hot minute since my last post, and I’m blaming my lack of posts on the heat and humidity alternating with the rain we have been having. I simply haven’t been doing much. I’m not complaining about the weather, mind you, as other parts of the country have been dealing with horrendous heat and storms. All things considered, I’m happy to live here with our New England weather. 

Patriotic Cross Stitch . . . 

I have added three new pieces to my July 4th patriotic display which I will leave up until the end of the month. They are: “Old Glory” by Diane Williams of Little House Needleworks, 4th of July Bird by Heart in Hand, and “Stars and Stripes Street #1 by Priscilla Blain of Stitching with the Housewives.

This flag themed wood display was purchased from Paisleys and Polka Dots . As I have mentioned in other posts, the precut pieces arrive unfinished. You provide the paint and then glue it all together. It’s easy and fun to do. I mounted the cross stitch piece on an acid free thin board and put it on another board covered with the red fabric. I would normally then use magnets to attach the cross stitch, but since I will not be switching this piece out, I simply used Ailene’s glue to attach it. 

I still have a few other small patriotic pieces that I have yet to fully finish.

So what have I been up to lately? Well, I celebrated my birthday last Sunday with a visit from my cousin Kristin and her girls. They had stopped at Tony’s on Wollaston Beach to pick up lobster rolls. YUM!!! (Note: Tony’s is the best place around to get a lobster roll.) Kristin, her girls, and I regularly went for a “Ladies Lunch” when the girls had an early dismissal from school one day each month. Those sweet,  precious little girls are now fourteen and seventeen and still sweet and precious. :-)

Yesterday we had a family July Birthday Cookout. Four of us have birthdays this month. We had a great time and the weather was perfect.

Finally, on Saturday I saw the fifth and supposedly final Indiana Jones movie, The Dial of Destiny. As the title suggests, it involves finding a legendary artifact which could alter the course of history. It had all the expected elements: adventure, danger, exotic locations, and a ‘forty year old’ Harrison Ford which was the most amazing part. How did they accomplish that? There are many articles online explaining how this was done and it is beyond amazing. Besides that, while watching the movie  I kept wondering how are they able to makes these complicated action/adventure films? I googled it later and discovered the possible answer. Start with Disney and Lucasfilm and add 300 million!!! So, should you see this film? If you have liked the other four Indiana Jones movies, I’m sure you will enjoy this one as well.

Have an exciting, adventurous week. ;-)