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

HOW BEAUTIFUL A DAY WHEN KINDNESS TOUCHES IT!

Hi Everyone!

How lucky we all are to share our love of stitching!

I have been so fortunate to have met many new stitching friends and followers since I began my blog 2 months ago. 

That being said, LOOK at the beautiful quilted candle mat that arrived for me from Myra (Gr8dame)  The colors are perfect, match my new Fall candles and the colors in my dining room. The quilting is so detailed and lovingly done. Myra was among the first to follow my blog, always has a kind word and shares entertaining conversations. Thank you, dear Myra, from the bottom of my heart for your thoughtfulness and kindness.  I always have a candle burning and now it has a special place "all its own." Each time I look at it, you're in my thoughts, dear friend.

 

As I was receiving a RAK, I was sending one...to my dear Mom.

You'll probably recognize it as the LHN "Herbal Tea."  I changed the colors of the silks and the lettering. I added blending filament to the "steam" and interspersed pink and pearl beads along the border and on the cup. The fabric shown with it is the one I used for the backing. I added the ribbon and pearl trim along the edge and was so pleased with the final result!  I have always liked the combination of pink and green. I think they're "happy colors." Pastels are among my favorites.

Believe it or not, I started this piece for Mother's Day and didn't have time to finish it with graduation and college moveouts. 

Mom was thrilled to get the little package in the mail.  I sent it as a "thinking of you with love treat." I think it meant more to her on the day she received it than if I had given to her on Mother's Day...a little boost on an otherwise ordinary day.  So, I guess my delayed timing was worth it!

I have gotten some stitching done these past few weeks (not as much as I would have liked to) and have a few finishes lined up.

I keep telling myself not to start anything new until the last piece is finished but you know how THAT goes!!  I call it "stitching multi-tasking"
These past few weeks have been busy with getting the house cleaned and decorated for Fall, my son's birthday, finishing my yearly continuing ed credits for anesthesia and chairing a raffle for the church picnic. 

Next week, I'm attending  the Stitching Jubilee in Lancaster.  Are you going? As an early birthday treat, my family has given me hotel reservations for 2 nights (I usually make it a day trip). I'm sooo looking forward to it... shopping, meeting up with old friends and being able to concentrate on my stitching. 
I have to get these projects finished here this week because the temptation for more stash enhancement is looming next week.  Oh, I'll TRY to be good and resist temptation....HA!

GIVEAWAY NEWS..since my birthday is coming the first week of November, be on the lookout for my first giveaway!!  I can guarantee a few new goodies from the Jubilee and some little "stitching extras"  to make one of my blog followers happy!!

Thank you for your kind comments and emails. I appreciate each one and enjoy following yours. Your stitching talents are great and the friendship it brings even greater!

Please try to make today a beautiful one for someone touching it with a little kindness....what a difference it makes for all of us :)

HUGS,
Mary