F&S Halloween Exchange sqaures...

Homespun Elegance "Pumpkins' A Plenty II"

These were waiting in my mailbox this afternoon from Melita. I love Homespun Elegance and will probably finish these into a small pillow. Happy stitches.....

Pals Fall Fling....

This was my first trip back to the Pals Fall Fling since the first year in 1998. It was fun meeting so many stitchers I felt like I have known forever through cyberspace. Although I had my camera, I didn't think to take many pictures! Oh well.... I did want to share some pics of the class projects and exchanges!

Friday ......

Friday was a finishing class where Amy taught us how to make a strawberry emery. This was fun and I can see many more finishes using this technique. Stephanie FL then showed us how to make some cute floss tags using wooden shapes and scrapbook paper. The afternoon was then spent making a paperbag memory album. This was great and a nifty idea. Here are a few of my classmates sharing their creations...

Friday night.......
was the Pals Grab Bag and Christmas ornament exchanges. This was so much fun and some very creative packaging. Unfortunately, I forgot to take pics! I received Linda-NC's package and it was a treat!

There were so many wonderful treats in the package but my most favorite are the beaded scissor fob and needle markers Linda made. They are so cute and I immediately started using the scissors! Second is the wonderful kit from the Remember the Ladies series that contain the Kreinik Silk Mori in the Milkpaint colors. They are so delicate looking and I can't wait to use them. Thanks again Linda!

I was able to make 5 ornaments for the exchange and here are a few pics.

The five ornaments I chose.....

These were stitched by Amy, Amy, Faye , Avona FL and Shelleen.

Shelleen and Faye were housemates and I have followed there blogs for awhile so it was nice to have one of their ornaments. Surpisingly, I also picked two of Amy's ornaments and was happy since she has become a good friend this year.

If that wasn't enough, I also won a giveaway from buying a grab bag of charts from DSL.
Saturday night....
was the stitching exchange and Halloween ornament exchange.

I stitched a scissor slide and fob from a freebie from My Big Toe Designs.

I received Donna's exchange ....isn't this snowman too cute?

For the Halloween exchange I was lucky enough to choose Toni-IL ornament. I love this cute pumpkin and the backing fabric is too cute!

I stitched two designs from LK "Fall Crazy" and Toni-IL chose my ornament!

Front
Back

Lastly....
I did stitch and actually finished this before leaving Myrtle Beach.

LK "Christmas Is....." stitched on 28 ct. linen with WDW.

It was so much fun and I am so tired! I was amazed how little sleep these stitchers could operate on ...... I just couldn't hang that late every night. It was also great meeting fellow stitching bloggers Carolyn and Beth too. Beth was also housemate also and was too funny!

Well...better get back to laundry and unpacking. Can't wait until next year!

Great Giveaway, Pals Fall Fling & TUSAL....

First....head on over to Pumpkin Patch Primitives for a fabulous fabric giveaway. You have until Oct. 31st to sign up and it is definitely worth it the trip!

I am busily getting ready for the Pals Fall Fling at Myrtle Beach and can't wait to head down on Wednesday! I almost have all of my exchanges ready to go and still have to decide what to take to stitch. I don't want to spoil the surprise so thought I would share the backs. Amy did the finishing for me on the stocking and I love the way it turned out! The design matches the fabric perfectly and she left me enough so that I can make another one for myself.

I got some inexpensive finishing forms from Down Sunshine Lane for these two and the finishing was so super-duper easy! I will definitely be getting some more of these!

Lastly....
I leave you with my TUSAL posting for this month. I am always a day late (and dollar short) but here it is....
My little chicken looks like Hellraiser with all of the pins sticking out of his head. I have been busy this month and hope my little jar can make it to the end of the year. Surprisingly, I discovered today I probably have half this much on the floor by my chair (guess my aim could be a little better!) The same amount of cat hair will prevent me from adding it to the jar so I guess it is time to vacuum.

Happy stitches and thanks for visiting....

Freebies, fabric and finish.....

First....the freebies!

Look at the wonderful package I received today! I was one of the lucky winners in the latest giveaway at Blackbird Designs blog. Oh my....I am so excited since they are one of my favorite designers. I especially love the "Joyeux Noel", which has some wonderful designs.

Second....the fabric!


If that was not enough, my postman left me another great little package. Thanks to a gift certificate, I was able to purchase the fabric for "Frederika"...Lakeside Linens 40 ct. Pearled Barley. This is my first time stitching on 40 ct., but Amy and Nicole love their linen so I decided to bite the bullet. Now I just need to start!

Third.....a finish!

Small Floral Sampler stitched on 28 ct. linen with GA & WDW

I finished this cute little sampler over the weekend. (Well almost...I noticed while posting that I forgot to stitch the bird's beak...oops!) I was looking for something simple to start and finish quickly. The design is from "Old Samplers-Book 2" from Leta Sullins. I have had this booklet for ages and love some of the designs so I hope to stitch a few more.

Thanks for all of the wonderful comments on Moonlit Garden and visiting my blog! It makes my heart smile! Well...time to blog hop and hopefully get some stitches in. Happy stitches....

LK Exchange from Pirjo....

Waiting in my mailbox tonight was this wonderful package from Pirjo. This is the cutest design and I love the colors!I don't have it in my stash so that makes it extra special. Forgot to take a pic of the backing fabric but it has falling leaves that match perfectly. I have already added to my fall decorations.

This was a nice ending to a good but sad day as we attended the funeral for a lady who was very special to my husband as a child and teenager. Growing up in the South, we both had special ladies who helped our moms with the housework and babysitting while they worked. It was almost like having a second grandmother. Verdell was in Andy's life from the time he was a small child up through his college years. Though they had lost touch over the recent years, it was nice remembering the special memories he shared with her and how she impacted his life. It definitely makes you think about family and not taking for granted anytime we can spend together.

BBD "Moonlit Garden" and some stash....

BBD "Moonlit Garden"
32 count Natural linen w/recommended WDW fibers

This was a great stitch...not sure why I took a two week hiatus from it. I pulled it back out this weekend and put the last stitch in earlier this evening. I just love the fall colors and it is even a favorite of hubby's. Hopefully I can frame it soon so I can enjoy it all of the time.

Now....the good stuff!

Stash!!!!

I was lucky enough to win a Big Brother pool recently and my prize was a gift certificate to Down Sunshine Lane. Amy recently had a great sale and I was able to whittle down my "wish list" a little! My favorite has to be CHS' "Frederika" and I just don't know how much longer I can resist the urge to start it. I just love the colors!

Thanks for all of the great comments on my recent finishes! Thanks for visiting my small part of the universe and if you leave a comment, I would love to visit yours!

Happy stitches....