Breath of fresh fall.....

Ahhh....I just love fall and it has finally hit South Carolina this weekend.  The crisp cool mornings and pleasant, sunny afternoons the past two days have been very invigorating!  I was even motivated to clean my craft room and put away all the "stuff" strewn about the last few months.  My charts are all filed away nicely, my threads are neatly organized and my pending exchanges are finished! 

And...what happened to the clocks "falling" back last night???  I was so looking forward to that "extra" hour.  Oh well....I guess the extra evening sunlight will be compromise enough.

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While had my sewing machine out, I decided I would finish this freebie I stitched a few weeks ago. 

 LK "Noel" freebie

stitched on 14 ct. aida w/ DMC

I changed the colors to make it a little "brighter" and I love the blue and red together.  They are not "conventional" but a nice change from the norm.  I can't show anymore until my exchange partner gets a first glimpse.  I am now off to do some"big girl" stitching. 

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I will leave you with a pic of my "warlock" as he relaxes before the evening's busy festivities...

happy halloween....

Pals Fall Fling....

 Oh my gosh....this year's fling was great but too short for me.  Amy from Cross Stitch Pals always does a fantastic job and this year was no exception. Although it started on Wednesday, I couldn't arrived until Friday night. 
(Can't figure out why my boss had a problem
with me taking a 3-week vacation...oh well!)  
 I did get there just in time for the evening festivities which included some exchanges. Here is my loot from the Grab Bag Exchange, which was full of stitching goodies...

From Teresa-TN

I wish I had taken pictures of some of the containers....it is amazing how creative some stitchers can be!

The registration packet was full of great goodies and we received so many wonderful freebies all throughout the weekend....

I also got to meet some great blogging buddies including Michele and Karen.  They are so sweet in person and treated me with this cute little pin cushion, pins and scissor fob. 

After a full day of shopping, laughing and stitching, we had the stitched exchange Saturday night.  I found the cutest freebie on the web and decided to make a needlebook....

Front of needlebook

Design: "Needles & Scissors"  freebie
Designer: Sandy in MT

Log Cabin Designs

Inside of needlebook....I just love the little stitching motifs.

I was excited that my stitched piece went home with Judy, another SC stitcher who was there with her sister, Donna.  Both were a joy to be around and I had a great time laughing and stitching with them.

I was fortunate enough to receive both of these lovely items from Doris who travelled all the way from Wyoming...

I just love the little drawstring bag that she made to keep the needleroll safe during the exchange.  This will definitely go into my stitching bag to house some of my little stitching tools...

Though I had my camera, I just couldn't put my stitching down long enough to take pics!  I will leave you with a few that I did manage to capture...

View from our room at the Springmaid Resort..weather was perfect!

It was a beautiful weekend spent with some great stitching friends, both old and new.

Donna and Judy
(Both of you should be blogging!)

Me, Nicole, Yvonne (aka Yvonka)  and Faye (aka Phey)

Linda P...where are you????  She definitely kept us in "stitches" Friday night.

Shhhhhh.......We all know how fast a stitcher Nicole is and I think I found her secret. Two pairs of magnifiers!  Now we know how someone can finish one of the Hawk's Runs in just a few days!

She's so good she only needs one hand to stitch!

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Well...if you made it this far, thanks for hanging in there.  Make sure you check out some of the other blogs since many have posted a lot pics from the weekend.  Amy has already set the dates for next year so go ahead and mark your calendars!  Happy stitching...

Me, Myself & I October exchange with a twist....

Here is my monthly ornament exchange but I have a little twist this month.  I stitched two ornaments for the Pal Fall Fling ornament exchange.....

"Poinsettia" Cross Stitch & Country Crafts



 SB "Be Merry"

 

Since I knew I would get two ornaments from Pals, I decided I would count them in October's ornaments along with a cute LK freebie I stitched....

LHN "Frosty Flakes" stitched by Nicole

"Happy Holidays stiched by Char-OH

LK "Joy" freebie stitched by me!

I love the two ornaments I picked and can't wait to add them to the ornaments I received last year.

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Well...I will be back later with some more pics from this past weekends Pals Fall Fling! 

Thanks for visiting my space on the web! 

Happy stitching....

Fair & Square exchange from Linda....

I received another amazing exchange in the mail this weekend....

"Broom Hilda" by Brenda Gervais

Just love the button detail!

Linda B (no blog but should obviously have one!) was my partner for the Halloween F&S exchange and we decided to go ahead and finish our stitched pieces.  I was blown away when I opened this goodie!  Linda picked the perfect design for me and it is stitched over one!  She did a great job finishing and I am pleased as punch to have it!!!

 

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I got back earlier from the Pals Fall Fling and had a blast.  I will share pics later. I think this little beauty deserves a post all by itself don't you??? 

Hope you had a great stitchy weekend too!

LK Exchange from Elisa....

Waiting in my mailbox today was my LK Exchange from Elisa.  I have not stitched this design and so I am happy to add it to my collection!  She did a great job finishing it and I am glad the holiday season is around the corner so I can display it.

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Well I'm off to the Pals Fall Fling this weekend in Myrtle Beach.  It is going to great seeing some old stitching friends and meeting so many new ones.  Thanks to the world of blogging, I feel like I already know them so well!  There are some wonderful exchanges planned so I am off to get those packaged.  Most importantly, I still need to pack my stitching bag....decisions decisions!

Happy stitching this weekend.....

Another LK Santa finish......

"Here Comes Santa Claus"--Santa '05

stitched on 18 ct aida w/DMC

I started this on our return trip home and finished it this weekend.  I just love these LK Santas and hope to finish stitching the rest of them next year.

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Here are just a few more pics of our recent trip.  As you can imagine, pictures cannot capture the beauty of the Irish and Scottish countryside.....

Blarney Castle

No.....I didn't kiss the Blarney Stone but my dear hubby did.  Kissing the Blarney Stone is supposed to give you eloquence of speech.  I figured I already had my fair share and would leave it for the less fortunate. 
(Really....I just couldn't get over the germs that lay ahead!)

Glencoe, Scotland

Ring of Kerry

Started out as a foggy morning but cleared up by the afternoon.  This was a beautiful drive.

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Thanks for visiting.  I really appreciate that you take the time to visit my little piece of the virtual world!  happy stitching...

Sa bhaile.......

Cliffs of Moher...absolutely breathtaking

Loosely translated...that's Irish for "I'm back"!  We are home from Scotland/Ireland and had the best time!  Above is just one of the 850 pictures we took....don't you just love digital cameras????  
(Don't worry....I won't post them all!)  

The weather was absolutely perfect the entire trip, we enjoyed great food and Guinness, and we met some wonderful people, including another couple from South Carolina.....small world! 

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I saw some wonderful samplers and needlework in some of the museums we visited, but was pleasantly surprised to see this hanging in one of the pubs we visited while driving the Ring of Kerry....

At the The Moorings in Portmagee....

the best seafood chowder!

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 Thanks to the long plane trip I did get to do a little stitching and finished this along the way....

LK "Wanted" stitched on 18ct aida w/DMC

I had started this last month and it was perfect since it was an easy stitch.  I was able to finish it going and will add to the finishing pile.  I had kitted another one of the LK Santas, "Here Comes Santa Claus", and was able to get a lot done on the return trip.  Hopefully it will be finished this weekend.

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I'm off to read the over 1000 posts in my reader....

boy have y'all been busy! 

Thanks for visiting and happy stitching!