Thursday, October 7, 2010

It Doesn't Feel Much Like Fall Around Here

Oh how I love the fall, especially Halloween but I must say I am missing "Fall in New England".  It just doesn't feel much like fall around here so I decided that I had to get busy and drag out the Fall/Halloween box to decorate the house.  Now that so many of the stores have all of the Halloween decoration out on the shelves I need to try to stay out of them; I always seem to find something new that I must have.

A new wreath for the door…
A new centerpiece for the table…

A newly decorated vintage tree…

And yesterday I received a wonderful Halloween package from Erin W. that contained some great new decorations:
HOE Halloween Exchange
Stitched by: Erin W.

Take a closer look at the fabulous pillow:
Designer: The MonkeyWorks
Design: In The Graveyard

Can you see the beaded skeleton? Erin, clever stitcher that she is, decided to forgo the white floss and use white beads instead (the picture on Erin's blog is better so be sure to pop on over and take a look). I shall prop this pillow up on the mantel in my family room for all to see. The cute ghost bell and Halloween plaque are displayed on the vintage tree. Thank you so much Erin for all that you sent, you made this an extra special exchange!

My exchange has quite a distance to travel so I do not expect that it will arrive until next week. I will wait to hear from my partner before posting pictures.

Your comments make me smile and knowing that you visited makes my day so thank you all.

Until next time...

Sunday, October 3, 2010

A Few Exchanges

Where in the world is sweet Heather??? Since the quilting bug bit her, I hardly ever see any of her beautiful cross-stitch work. Well, she did complete this beauty not too long ago but much of her blog these days highlights her gorgeous quilts!  I was so happy to be able to participate in a personal Fall exchange with her and was excited when her package arrived.  Knowing Heather I knew that it would be amazing.

Fall Personal Exchange from Heather
Heather selected a design from My Aunt's Attic website and stitched it on 32ct linen using a pretty fall variegated floss. She selected the most wonderful fabric, one that truly compliments the design and matches the floss perfectly, and she stitched up the gorgeous Project Bag.  How could I not love this one??? I tore through my unfinished projects and selected a Scarlett Letter project to tuck away inside the bag.  Many thanks Heather, you are a dear friend!
I was a bit undecided on what to stitch for Heather; should I stitch a Halloween Design or should I stitch a Thanksgiving design.....Hmm??? Sort of like Heather's Blog title "Quilt or Stitch? how about both.  Okay, Halloween or Thanksgiving? How about both.
I love using Anna Lee dolls to display a cross stitched piece so when I came across this handsome Pilgrim I snatched him up and took him home.  And what do Pilgrims bring to the table to feast on? A Turkey.


Since receiving this really nice glass mason jar from CathyB I have been anxious to make one. Luckily I took her advice and rushed out to locate these cute little canning jars before the stores ran out or packed them away until next season.  It did not take long for me to select a Halloween design: A pumpkin.  

JBW French Country IV Pumpkin

It is hard to believe that it is October 3rd and I only participated in one, yes one Fair and Square exchange this year. I certainly picked a good one....HALLOWEEN!  My partner for this round was Nancy K. who sent me these wonderful blocks:

Fair &Square Halloween

Designer: BBD
Stitched by: Nancy K.

She stitched the design using Tentakulum variegated thread called "Halloween" and WDW "Twilight" floss for the cat.

Thanks Nancy, you did a great job selecting and stitching the perfect design; I just love it!
Here are the blocks that I stitched for her:

Fair & Square Halloween
Designer: Prairie Schooler
Design:
Stitched for: Nancy K.

I was recently pulling floss for a project and I realized that I was running low on one of my very favorites: Victorian Motto Sampler Floss. I immediately ordered some and VERY quickly received these:


Nancy offers some of the most beautiful colors. Gorgeous, simply gorgeous! I can't wait to thread my needle with them. 

Hop on over to Edgar's blog where he is having his annual Hobbit Birthday Drawing! Better get over there quick, he will be drawing at 7am Monday!

Thanks for stopping by ~ Enjoy your week.

Until next time...