HALLOWEEN TREATS TO SHARE

Happy Halloween, Friends!
I have always looked forward to Halloween since I was a child. Aside from the fun of the day, I was also anticipating my birthday.... 5 days away.

Having 4 children close in age, I look back fondly on all of the costumes that were lovingly made and the excitement that filled our home on this holiday. Such times seem to be not that long ago......but they are in my heart forever!
So, my nostalgic little self has to shelve my memories for tonight and make do with a treasure trove of candy for our neighborhood trick or treaters.

A Basket Full of Treats

Fortunately, we get a lot of kids, so not much candy is left and THAT'S a good thing!

I stitched a few Halloween goodies that look good enough to eat or hold goodies that you CAN enjoy!
I must say that I had a lot of fun not only with the stitching but also the finishing!

                                       First up is a Halloween cupcake!
This is  "Boo" by Homespun Elegance stitched over one on 28 ct natural linen.
I made some color changes, added a few of my beaded counting pins and a confetti bat.
I thought the polka dot ribbon was perfect and LOVE how it turned out! What do you think?
This was my first cupcake finish and I know it won't be my last :)

Looks good enough to eat!










Take One My Pretty from Plum Street Samplers "My Pretties" was stitched on PTP 32ct. Prank.

I covered the box with coordinating fabric and filled it with treats for my DD. I also stitched a message inside the lid for fun.
I love the eyelet finish on this.

Finally, a mini Altoids tin was the home for my own little pumpkin creation. The 32ct light orange linen was a remnant in my stash, stitched over one. (The pictures aren't great because I took them with my phone.)
I added ribbon to set it off along with a few mints inside. This was a treat for my dear Mom, who appreciates all of my work and can't believe I can stitch such small detail!

Believe it or not, I still have Halloween finishes in my pile and hope to complete them this weekend.
Maybe if I have a candy rush from the leftovers....I will be successful!
Tonight was fun...our many trick or treaters had their fill and my DH and I enjoyed them!

A Good Night Was Had By All

I hope you have a good weekend, my friends. Thank you for stopping by and for your kind comments. I appreciate every one!
My next celebration is my birthday and there will be a giveaway during November for my faithful followers! Think Christmas.....

HUGS and STITCHES,
MARY

HAPPY HALLOWEEN and MY BIRTHDAY GIVEAWAY!!!

Happy Fall Everyone!
Happy Halloween to all of my friends who are celebrating the holiday.

October is over and I don't know where the month has gone.  It's been a busy month and I have a few pics to share of what I was fortunate to do these past few weeks.

Columbus Day weekend, my daughter and I traveled to the pumpkin patch.  It has been a yearly tradition for us since my first son was born (in 1987) but now it's just us girls because (understandably so) the boys aren't interested anymore.

We had a beautiful day. Here are some of the pumpkins and mums we saw and brought home.
As we were bringing pumpkins home, my beautiful roses were still blooming despite a night of frost....Isn't God's nature wonderful?

Later that week, I was able to attend the Stitching Jubilee in Lancaster.  I had a wonderful time meeting old friends along with new ones.....Carolyn http://xstitching5.blogspot.com/and Kathy http://stitchinkatspawprintsblog.blogspot.com/ It's nice that our blogging world  can extend beyond our computers, isn't it?  How lucky we all are to have each other to share our love of stitching.
Sad to say, the Jubilee will not be held next year and the vendor list was smaller than in years past.  The vendors that were there were wonderful.   I did add a few things to my stitching collection as pictured here. 

As for my October stitching.... I've been busy making treats for two dear blogging friends who have been so supportive since I have started my blog. I will show them once they are received so as not to ruin their surprises.

And........more October stitches......

This is a Nora Corbett chart that was published in Cross Stitch and Needlework a few years ago.  I stitched it for my daughter, who loves Halloween. The grace of the fairy reminded me of her but it took me almost a full year to complete. It's stitched on 28 ct cream cashel linen and I added blending filament and Mill Hill beads to make it sparkle. I had lots of fun stitching it and adding the special touches to it.
Another fun piece was "Witch Shoes "(Cherry Wood)  It's stitched on 28 ct light green cashel linen and I added my "beading" to the shoes. Sorry, the pic isn't the best. The ruffled border was sewn from fabric I already had and it matched the colors perfectly!

And last but not least, Halloween ends with THE CANDY!!  We have always had a lot of children coming at Halloween in our neighborhood and tonight was no exception.

I went to Target the other day to buy treats to send to my kids at college and when I got home, it seemed that the stash had grown....WHERE was I going with all of this candy??  It reminded me of how much bigger the Christmas tree seems to have "grown" once it gets in the house from what it looked like in the field!

Well, not to worry, it went from this

.....to this....!

I can't guarantee that I won't be tempted tomorrow by what's left .....:)

Don't forget my birthday giveaway is Friday! It's Christmas themed with new stitching goodies and surprises!

Please leave your comment ON THIS POST ONLY.  You only need to be a FOLLOWER to enter so good luck and thank you! Please be sure that I have an email to contact you should you be the winner.

The lucky winner will be drawn on Friday, November 5 at 5 PM

As always, your blogs and comments are inspiring and fun. I appreciate them all!
Thank you for taking the time to visit!

I hope you all have a happy, stitch filled week ahead :)

HUGS and STITCHES,
Mary

"Boo" to You!

Hi Everyone,
Christmas in July seems to be popular right now but I'm in a Halloween stitching mode! Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Christmas but I also LIKE Halloween. I'm an "Autumn baby" so maybe that's why? I just bought this new design "Candy Corn...Boo to You" and it's different from anything I have for Halloween....I'm sure you'll agree, it's a necessary addition to my "stash." :) Stay tuned for the finish as I have opted to change the fabric and some of the floss. I hope we like it!

Speaking of "Boo"....here is a picture of my 8 year old lab. She's a real buddy and a good pet. Now that all of my children are off to college and work, we are constant companions. (She knows who has the treats!) As silly as it sounds, she is well trained but hates her leash. Despite that pitfall, she does cute tricks...maybe I can take "my puppy" for an act "on the road." (lol) On second thought, we're happy at home! Having a pet is a blessing...they add so much fun and love to the family! They seem to understand more than we realize, don't they? Their love is simple, unconditional and genuine....

Thank you for taking the time to stop by. I truly appreciate your kind emails and comments and "welcome" all my new stitching pals.

Boo and I wish you all a relaxing, cool weekend filled with happy things and stitching!

Hugs and Stitches,
Mary