Secret Stitcher & Happy Halloween

Yesterday the mailman brought me a big box of goodies from my Secret Stitcher!  I wanted to post last night but it was not to be so here we are today.  Let's look at what she sent me!

Now you might be thinking, why September in October almost November?  Well she included the cutest note saying she'd forgotten to mail September's.

I have to confess, I didn't even give it a thought.  My September was so busy I felt like it came and went before I event knew it with all the traveling I did.  I'm thrilled with what she sent me.  Love the apples, those pink scissors, and the fob!

Seriously, let's have a closer look at that fob!!  Love all the sparkly crystals.  I know it's a crappy picture that doesn't even do this little cutie justice.  I wish you all could see it in person.  It's just so me...pink, bling, and Hello Kitty.  Seriously, it just doesn't get any better.  Thank you so much, Secret Stitcher!

But wait, there's more!!!

She also sent me October stuff too!  Lots of fun Halloween goodies.  Just look at it all!  She crammed that pretty box full of goodness!!

I love this tea towel and the October note pad with the pumpkins.  So darn cute!

Check out this great floss toss!  All in great Halloween colors and even some juicy silks.   Love Belle Soie silks!  Swoon!

Here's a close up of my Hello Kitty goodies!  I love the little candies in the tin are bone  shaped!  Now how stinkin' cute is that?  I know!

Speaking of bone shapes, she even found a great bone shaped tin!  I'm going to use it to put Shelby's new treats in it.  Yes, even Shelby got spoiled for Halloween!!!

Speaking of, here she is patiently waiting for a bite of her new chicken jerky!  Shelby thanks you too, Secret Stitcher!

I have to say that my Secret Stitcher this year has really spoiled both of us!  Again, thank you so much for all the wonderful goodies! They came just in time too.

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Since we are talking about Halloween and today is the day, I have to share this year's Halloween costume with you.  You may remember from last year that our office goes all out at Halloween.  This year I went with things I already had and just added accessories!

The real "Waldo"

Me as Waldo

 

Yep, I'm Waldo!  One of my coworkers always says this is my "Waldo sweater" so I went with it!  I've made a lot of people smile today.  It was a pretty easy one to throw together and the best part is it's warm.

We are still feeling the effects of "Sandy" today with rain, wind and 39 degree temperatures.  I'm not complaining, we got lucky around here!

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Well folks, that's it from here.  Thanks for taking time to visit with me and for all who celebrate, Happy Halloween!!!  I hope you have a grand day or at least get a good sugar buzz goin'!

Until next time,

The Inspired Stitcher aka Waldo

P.S.  A certain someone is having a birthday today.  Pop over to my friend Lisa's blog and wish her a Happy Birthday!  Tell her Waldo sent ya!

Ornament finish on a lazy Sunday

Yesterday found me having a lazy day.  I'd done all the requisite weekend running around on Saturday so that left Sunday with no place I had to go!  Don't you love it when that happens?  Unfortunately in my world it doesn't happen often enough.

The weather was cold and damp and I didn't feel like getting out of my sweats all day!  Perfect stitching weather!  So what did I stitch you ask?

Design:  Joy to You 2012 (from JCS 2012 Ornaments)

Designer:  Glory Bee

Fabric:  28 ct. Lambswool

Floss:  DMC 321 (over one except for the Smyrnas)

Started:  10/28/12

Finished:  10/28/12

Completed:  10/28/12

This little cutie!  Yep, I finally got started on my ornaments.  Yippee!!!  I can now officially say I've finished one of the four ornaments I must stitch before December rolls around.

I decided to do a beaded edge finish on this one.  It just seemed a little plain without it.  I like the way it turned out.  I always enjoy doing a beaded edge finish.  Sure, it takes a bit longer but the bling is worth it!

I hope everyone had a good weekend!  My thoughts are with those in the path of "Sandy."  I hope every stays safe and well.  Thanks for stopping by today!


Until next time,

The Inspired Stitcher

A BBD finish for me

Since I got my "assignment" done Friday night, I gave myself permission to play on Saturday! I got a ton of things done that I'd been wanting to work on. I'd love to show you everything but two of my finishes are for exchanges and one is a gift so you'll get to see those later.

Design:  Summer Sachet from A Stitcher's Journey

Designer:  Blackbird Designs

Fabric:  30 ct. Parchment

Floss:  CC & GAST as charted

Started:  10/20/12

Finished:  10/21/12

Completed:  10/21/12

This little cutie, however, I can show you.  I decided to do a "Carol" finish on it and I love how it turned out.  I used that stripe fabric for the lining of my Hedgerow Birds bag seen here.  I still had some of it left and it went well with the floss colors in this one too!

I decided to stitch both my initials instead of just the one as it's charted.  I'm glad I chose to make this little change.  This was also the first time I'd used the Crescent Colors Cappuccino (seen on the letters and parts of the flower).  I think it might be a new favorite color for me.  I love the mauve/purple shades!

It's been a while since I stitched something for me just for the fun of it.  Saturday was the perfect day to get in the studio and play.  I need to do that more often.

Well folks, that's all I've got for now.  Thank you for your visit and lovely comments.  Welcome to my new friends.   I hope everyone is having a good week so far. 


Until next time,

The Inspired Stitcher

BAP Update October Edition

 Started: 10/2/12

Finished: 10/19/12

I finally got my October "assignment" done for the EMS SAL.  Sorry for the wrinkles.  They really show up in what little light I have to work with today.  It's been overcast all day and looks as though it could rain at any minute.  Sounds like a good day to stay in and stitch to me!

 October's "assignment"

I love these butterflies!

The dog and these butterflies were the things that drew me to this sampler.  I've waited all year to get to stitch these butterflies.  I couldn't resist stitching the second one too even though it wasn't part of this month's assignment.  I love how the both of them turned out.  I can't wait to stitch the third one next month!

I know I must sound like a complete broken record, but I really do love this sampler.  Every single stitch of it has been a joy!  It makes me happy every time I look at it.  I can't wait to have it framed so I can enjoy it even more.

I'm on the home stretch with it now.  Only two more "assignments" to go and I will have completed it.  I can't believe we are winding down another year but the calendar on the wall says it's true.

You know what that means, marathon ornament stitching is soon to commence!  I've already picked out the four I know I have to stitch.  Have you started thinking about ornaments yet?  I'd love to know which ones are tickling your fancy this year!

Hope everyone is having a great weekend so far.  I plan to get a good old fashioned case of numb butt this afternoon and I hope you get to as well!  Thanks for stopping by for a visit with me today.

Until next time,

The Inspired Stitcher

TUSAL October

Today is October's TUSAL day!  It's been a whirlwind month since the last TUSAL.  I've pretty much lived out of a suitcase more days than not and I love that because it means there's been a lot of stitching going on as evidenced by that hefty ORT pile!  Here's the ORT report for this month.

This month's contributors to the hefty ORT pile are:

• Glory House by Chessie and Me (still in progress but inching ever closer)
• Three Pumpkins [the small one] by Prairie Grove Peddler (almost done)
• Santa Sack Welcome Project by Shepherd's Bush Retreat Designers (almost done)
• Shepherd's Christmas by Chessie & Me (in progress)
• Be Merry & Bright by Jeannette Douglas Designs (in progress)
• Home for the Holidays by R & R Reproductions (in progress)
• Fall Squared by Lizzie Kate (Done!  More about this one later)
• My name on a random piece of Aida banding (Done!)
• October's assignment for the EMS SAL (Soon!)

I'd say that's a pretty good list of things for this month!  Of course my WIP pile has been increased thanks to the Shepherd's Bush retreat.  LOL!  Oh, it's all good and I know it!

I hope this past month has brought you many hours of stitching enjoyment as we ease in to the fall season.  I just love the crispness in the air and the leaves are surprisingly pretty around here for having such a dry summer!

Thanks so much for visiting with me today and welcome to all my new readers.  I hope you find something inspiring here!


Until next time,

The Inspired Stitcher

Tiara Club Retreat Weekend

This past weekend was our annual Tiara Club Retreat weekend.  Yes, I've basically lived out of a suitcase for the past six weeks and I've loved every minute of it too.  I'm a self confessed travel nut!  Yep, it's true.

There are my Shepherd's Bush travel peeps and two of my Russellville retreat peeps sitting in the middle of the room.  We had so many folks come this year that we had tables set up in the middle!

Here's the view from my corner of the room!  See Senior Frog there in the lower right corner?  He went with me to this retreat.  He doesn't like to fly so he stayed home when I went to Utah.  LOL!

Here's the beautifully decorated fireplace in the dining hall!  Makes me want to get out those decorations I have yet to get out this season.  Guess it would help if I stayed home!

Here's our dessert from Friday night!  I looked forward to this all day long.  Let's have a moment with the apple dumpling and the cinnamon ice cream.  Okay?  This dessert is almost a religious experience.  I feel better now.  Moving on...

Let's look at some stitching!  These three were being worked on around me.  The first one was completed by my peep, Marsha!  You go girl!  The one in the middle was done by Stitchinpeanut, and the third was done by my peep, Christie.  Ladies, these are awesome!!!  It was so fun to see them side by side and done on different colored fabrics.

Speaking of progress and finishes, I made good progress on my BAP's October assignment!  I was able to get one of this month's butterflies done, some greenery and a start on another butterfly!  I've waited all year to stitch one of those butterflies.  It's even prettier in person!

I also got Lizzie Kate's Fall Squared started and finished!  Now I just need to complete it.  I'm percolating on how I want to do that.  Maybe I'll work on it this weekend.  We'll see...

Here's another finish I was particularly proud to see and say I stitched a part of it!  See those acorns?  Remember when I posted this?  Our friend Pat was able to come to the retreat and brought the sampler we made for her!

Attending the retreat was a huge thing considering she's recovered from a stroke and uterine cancer this year!  You should have seen the huge smile on her face when she was showing off this sampler.  I'm so proud of her and happy she was able to be there with us!!!  Thanks to Pat's sister, Barb, for bringing her!

Speaking of Barb, this is the biscornu she made for the retreat exchange and I won it!!!  It's so very me!  Just look at those acorns and I love that little owl!  The best part, she got mine!  What are the chances?!  Here's a picture of mine.  I love when things like that happen.

I wasn't able to take pictures of all of the exchange pieces this year but I did get a picture of this cutie made by my buddy, Paula and won by my buddy, Meem!  Paula stitched this all over one and it is amazing!  Paula does such beautiful work!

Before we departed on Sunday, we snapped this picture of the "Russellville Girls."  The two girls on the right (the one in black/red and the one wearing pink) drove 4 hours to come to the retreat!

Usually I only get to see them in Russellville in the summer so it was a real treat to get to spend time with them this past weekend.  Waves to my Russellville peeps!

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Well folks, that's all I've got today!  I don't plan to go anywhere else this month but I am traveling the first of next month so there will be a full report from that event later.

I'm glad you took the time to visit with me today.  Thanks for stopping by.  Have a great day!

Until next time,


The Inspired Stitcher

Shepherd's Bush Trip - day 5 continues

As you can tell from my having to continue day 5, it was a really jam packed day!  We had class all day and then festivities that night!  This will be the last of the Shepherd's Bush trip posts.  Sniffle!  So let's get on with it, shall we?! 

 

We had a little time to go back to the room and get ready for our Christmas dinner. We all decided to wear our best Christmas sweaters. Mine is a golden oldie circa 1987 back in the days of appliqued sweatshirts. Yes, I made this one myself too.  Good times! My peep in the green shirt gifted us all with our "hats."

You see, we had the 5 days of Christmas in our room complete with a tree and stockings! Every morning we'd wake up and Santa had left us something new on the mantel with our stockings. Now did I get a picture of this cuteness? Ummm....that would be a no! I know, I can't believe it either.  Okay, moving on...

Before dinner started everyone who brought an ornament got to pick a number out of a basket.  You had to make sure it wasn't the number you were given when you dropped off your ornament at the registration table.  Later I'll show you all the ornaments but first let's look at the table!

Here's our beautifully decorated dinner table!

This was our menu and salad.

This was dessert!  Little lemon bundt cakes.  Isn't the presentation lovely?  I didn't eat the flower but I was told it was edible.  The sticks were made out of white chocolate!

Before the festivities began we were serenaded with Christmas carols by the good sports that were the husbands/men in the room.  They actually did a really good job singing too!  Then we played a rousing game of Christmas trivia.  No, our table didn't win.  Bummer!

You may have noticed these stockings in the picture above.  All of us got a "stocking" that had the cutest red and white polka dotted boxes in them. You know how I love my polka dots!  Especially red and white ones!

Inside each were these super cute holly scissors with these tiny fobs. There were two different fobs. One that said "naughty" and one that said "nice."  You can guess how thrilled I was to get the naughty one. Yep, that's me to a "T." It's so fun to be naughty!

This is a craptastic picture but it gives you the idea of how many ornaments showed up for the exchange.  You'll remember a while back I showed you mine here.  We each paid $5 to help raise money to purchase an animal for a needy family from heifer.org.  We raised enough money to buy 9 sheep!

I took a lot of ornament pictures and that's why I wanted to do a separate post about the evening's festivities.  I thought you'd enjoy seeing them leisurely.  Go grab a cup of tea and enjoy!

There's mine in the upper right corner.  Loved all these!

Don't you just love Santa in his cowboy hat?  I wonder who designed that one?

Two super cute Shepherd's Bush pieces.

Love both of these.  Especially those squirrels!

 The "Love and Joy" one is the one I got!

I wanted this one so bad I could hardly stand it!

Does anyone know where I can beg, borrow or trade for this one?

One of my peeps got this one.  It's in the new JCS issue.

Homespun Elegance always does a good Santa!

This one was done by one of the Shepherd's Bush girls.

So was this one.  It's the retreat fob turned into a pillow.

Love that wonky tree.

OMG, everyone wanted this one!!!

 Gotta love a good Prairie Schooler!

Love this sweet fluffy sheep.

The skater is a Mary Garry, also a hard one to find!  Another one of the peeps got the SB sheep necklace.  I wanted that in the shop but they were sold out!

 

This was our view at the Salt Lake City airport terminal while waiting for our airplane to come take us home.  Just look at those mountains in the distance.

 

Here we are, homeward bound again!  It was a great retreat and I had the best time.  My peeps all had a great time too.  I think we were all sad to leave but I know we are looking forward to next time too!

 

I hope you enjoyed my recap as much as I did writing it.  I felt like I got to relive the week all over again!  Thanks so much for visiting with me and thank you for the wonderful comments too.  I'm glad you enjoyed the posts.

 

 

Until next time,

 

The Inspired Stitcher