Belated Blogaversary Giveaways

First off, thanks for your kind words about my dad's passing, I really appreciate your sympathies. He lived a wonderful life and was surrounded by those that loved him most so I think his passing was as peaceful as possible and for that I feel blessed.

Okay, I'm finally ready to post my blogaversary giveaways even though my anniversary was in August. The pile I had gathered was enough for three giveaways so if you are only interested in a particular giveaway, please note that in your comments. Otherwise I will pick three consecutive winners. Just leave me a comment that you'd like to be entered.

Giveaway #1
Trail Creek Farm Fun Sun Summer, HIH Herbert, June Grigg Designs Easter Egg kit, Bent Creek Waiting for Santa and Prairie Moon Chickens?

Giveaway #2
Lavendar Wings Planted Hearts, Trail Creek Farm Dearest Friends, complimentary chart from Rosewood Manor - Wild Tulip, The Victoria Sampler July birthday needleroll, a pc of 28ct 9x12 Silkweaver linen in Wisteria and assorted threads.

Giveaway #3
HIH Home Sweet Home, Erica Michaels Random Thoughts of Autumn, PS November, Assorted threads & a 9x12 pc of 32ct Lugana in Platinum

I will keep this open until October 3rd before picking a winner. I will probably keep going through my stash to add things in so don't be surprised if you get more than pictured!

Block 6

Sometime last week I finally finished up Block 6 of Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow. I love how it turned out but there was a LOT of stitching in this block! Here's the photo of my piece so far.


I've pulled the colors for Block 5 and might even start that this evening. I'm also working on the Plum Street Sampler ornament from the JCS Halloween ornie issue so I might pick that up instead. It's going to be very cute when it's finally finished.

Hope you enjoy a great weekend. I finally photographed the stash for my blogaversary giveaway and there was enough to split it into three packages so I will post the photos of them tomorrow. Off to stitch!

William A.Kasmarek

April 30, 1920 to September 19, 2010

We love you dad (also known as g-pop!)

My first Halloween finish this year

Smile, it's almost Halloween!

I finished my Halloween ornie on Tuesday evening and immediately started the Plum Street Samplers ornament. I love how quick these stitch up. I'm going to look for some tiny black pom-pom fringe to attach to the outside of this and turn it into a hanging pillow ornament. I hope I can find some around here. Thanks for stopping by! I plan to post about my giveaway on Saturday so please stop by again.

It's getting to be the most wonderful time of the year!

I love, love, love fall in New England and especially Halloween. It's taken a cooler turn and today was quite chilly after all the really hot summer weather we had. It's getting time to start putting away the summer things and get out the fall and winter wear.On Friday, I got my JCS Halloween issue and immediately dove into my stash to pull fabric and threads for several of the designs. This is my progress on the first one I started-Casey Buonaugurio's Jack O Lantern. Next after I finish this will be Plum Street Sampler's Halloween Greetings which you can see peeking out on the cover of the magazine in the photo. Such fun to be stitching Halloween things in the cooler weather.
Over the weekend I also received my JCS ornie issue from 123Stitch as well as this great new Plum Street Sampler design Olga and the Crescent Color threads to go with it. I do believe there will be another design coming from Paula at market this month to complement Olga. I hope so!

I hope you are enjoying some fallish weather and getting into the spirit of the season!

A birthday treasure

Is this not one of the cutest little stitching treasures you have ever seen? My sister gave it to me for my birthday this year. She found it at a client's house when she went to deliver some chairs. She said the lady had the most unbelievable collection of sewing related items she has ever seen and when she mentioned that I had started collecting things too, the lady sold her this little bird. My sister put in the scissors and I put on the thimble but the spools of thread came with the bird. The little puff on his back is for needles. You see it displayed with some of the other sewing treasures I was gifted with but I will save the details on those for later.
I would guess that maybe this was a homemade gift for another sewer but who knows. I just think it is so enchanting.

It's raining acorns... and stash!

It's the time of year when all of the acorns begin to fall from the trees. As you can see from the photo above, they come in all shapes, sizes and colors. When some of the big ones hit you, they can really hurt. I've been collecting them on my walks with the dog and plan to display them in either some glass jars or bowls for the next few months. I love the shapes, colors and textures of acorns. I think they are a much better by product of the oak trees than the leaves that will soon begin to fall in earnest and require raking and bagging.

In addition to raining acorns, it's been raining stash around here as a result of my "retail therapy" to try and distract me from my life these days and the clearance sale that ABC Stitch Therapy has been having. They bought the inventory of a shop that went out of business and have been marking the prices off to get rid of it. I have bought waaaay too much that will be coming in a few more lots but here's what I purchased the first time:

Blue Ribbon Designs Winter White Woodland, Autumn Leaves and Sunflower Seeds and Hugs and Kisses

Primitive Traditions Abigail Colby's Work Basket Accessories, PS December and June

And finally Trilogy's Summer Tree, BBD Loose Feathers #33 Keepsake Box and Pinkeep, My Heart is True, Loose Feathers #38 Summer Basket, Loose Feathers #35 Peacock Pinkeep and PS November which ended up being a duplicate and will be included in my upcoming blog giveaway.

Aye yay yay when do I ever think I'm going to stitch all this???? I'm a bit embarrassed at all I have purchased this past month. I truly need to go on a stash diet for at least another year but there are the remainder of the BBD Anniversaries of the Heart charts and the upcoming market stash that's sure to tempt me. Gotta go get me some will power!

Christmas Ornament Finished

Sorry for the lousy photo but I was too lazy to iron this when I got back to my house. This is finished ornament I mentioned in an earlier post - my only finish for August. It's the Midsummer Night Designs ornament from the 2007 JCS ornie issue. I used the called for DMC and some fabric out of my stash - I know it's 32 ct but I'm not sure of the color.

I got back home in time to mow my lawn and water my plants - am I the only one that is tired of watering every day? We haven't had much rain lately and after 3 months, I'm tired of dragging out the hose and winding it back on the holder. But I'm not sure I'm ready to rip everything out and put fall mums in - seems a bit too early for that although they are available in the stores and nurseries in the area. Maybe a few more weeks of watering.....

UFO Sunday

Today is UFO Sunday with an email stitching group I belong to. I pulled out Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow before I came down to NH to see if I could regain my interest in stitching on the piece. So that's the piece I'm using for UFO Sunday today. Here is where I was the last time I worked on it.

And here is where I am as of today - not bad for a few days. There's still a lot of fill left for the pond area and the snow under the sleigh but I think I will be able to continue working on this and get it done - at least by the end of the month.

The best of intentions

is not necessarily enough to get things done sometimes. I had planned to have a giveaway for my blog anniversary on the 21st of August but life got in the way. A lot has happened over the last month and a half, largely related to my father and his health and that has kept me from doing a lot of the things I intended to do this summer. I have driven back and forth to Pittsburgh 3 times in the last 6 weeks and hope to never have to make that trip again. We have moved my dad to my sister's house in NH and started hospice so it's likely I won't be doing any road trips other than back and forth from my house to her house. I will do the giveaway this month instead but I need to take a photo of the goodies for the giveaway first.

To try and catch up on a few things, I'm going to start with the wonderful birthday gifts I received from my partner in a private online stitching group I belong to. Since my birthday is in July and the 4th is also in July, I requested something patriotic that I could display in my house. I have nothing other than a small pin pillow from an exchange last year or the year before. This is the fantastic wall hanging I received from Jodi who does not have a blog.
Jodi also sent along some stitching related goodies in addition to the wonderful piece she stitched. She sent some great patriotic fabrics that will come in handy if I ever get around to stitching the patriotic items I have in my stash. She also sent the wonderful red strawberry emery which I have displayed with my other stitching related items and some great threads and a lovely heart tin finished by a lady she knows.
My family also surprised me with some wonderful stitching related items to add to my collection but I will show you those in another post. I did manage to get a little bit of stitching done and finished a birthday present that will be mailed out soon. Once it's been received I will show you the piece - I really like how it turned out. And here is a picture of the ornament I managed to start. I did finish it but need to take an updated photo. Can't remember which JCS issue it's out of at the moment and that's back in ME so I will try to confirm that when I get back up there.