Fall has officially arrived

It never really feels like fall around here until Tiger Lily takes to her "donut," an old robe of mine that my mom made into a blanket for her. I coil it into a donut shape for her, and it's her favorite place to nap in cooler weather. Today was her first donut day, so fall has officially arrived on the East Coast. Next stop on her seasonal migration: the blizzard basket. (yikes!)

A few more peeks at my Halloween decorating in my sewing room. These little babies are from my mom. She makes their outfits using kits from Mary Maxim. Aren't they just the cutest? I am not a fan of the modern trend in Halloween decorations, so these babies are just about my speed: adorable.

Hope to be back soon with a few pics of my sewing room, and some stitchy stuff. 

Stitching with a Friend

When you stitch with a friend and they insist on sitting right next to you even though there's an entire couch to sit on:

Happy weekend, happy stitching!

Halloween Dollhouse

Consider her ways, and be wise...

I have a little finish to show and a freebie to share! Back in the summer, while I was searching for something else, I stumbled across this adorable little stitching ant freebie. 

Ants always remind me of these verses from Proverbs:

Go to the ant, thou sluggard;

consider her ways, and be wise:

Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler,

Provideth her meat in the summer,

and gathereth her food in the harvest.

~Proverbs 6.6-8

I spend my summers scurrying around trying to get as much done as possible--in ant-like fashion--so I decided to add the phrase, "Go to the ant, consider her ways and be wise" to the border of this design. I stitched this on a scrap of what I think is PTP Sand, using Caron Wildflowers Black Forest and Cardinal. 

Speaking of being busy, I'm still working on my big sewing room rearrange. My work time has been pretty hit or miss because Mr. Wonderful has been on leave, and y'all know, it's hard to get stuff done in the house with a hubster under foot. The major part of the project is done, and I'm now down to those odds and ends that seem like small tasks, but that always end up taking nearly as much time as the big stuff. We had to cancel our trip to North Carolina because of Hurricane Florence, but we've rescheduled it for November, the tail end of hurricane season... and before blizzard season.

My head is swimming with thinking of all the stitching, finishing, and framing I want to do when I get the sewing room done. My goal is to have it done by the beginning of October. Wish me luck and stay tuned!

Clover and Lace Update

Just the border left!

Clover and Lace by Misty Hill Studio, stitched on 28 ct. PTP Oaken. I hope my next update will be a finish!

Autumn Dollhouse

Taking a quick break from the giant sewing room rearrange to share my new way to display my seasonal smalls. If you've been reading for a while, you're probably familiar with my seasonal baskets. Unfortunately, in rearranging the room, I had to give up the surface space where the basket lived. A few months ago I picked up this unfinished wooden dollhouse shelf at Michael's on sale and set it aside for some future use. My dollhouse was always my favorite toy when I was little, and I still have a soft spot for them. (My mom still has mine!) The dollhouse has become the new home for my seasonal smalls display. It now sits atop a bookshelf, taking up very little space, and it's easily visible. 

I want to fiddle with it a bit more and add a few things, but I've still gots lots of work to do and no time to play! Just wanted to share another idea for displaying smalls.

Have a good weekend, y'all!

End of Summer Update

I'm back! Yay!

And *summer is over! More yay! Tiger Lily started blowing her summer coat in July. I suppose it's sort of "old-wives'-tale-ish" on my part, but I have noticed that when she loses her summer coat mid-way through, we get an early start on winter (which around here, is early December). Fine with me. I'm ready for a blizzard.

*Meteorological summer started 1 September. Yes, I'm a weather nerd.

As I mentioned a few posts ago, I've been spending this summer doing some redecorating and cleaning out for a possible spring move. As is often the case, messing with any household project of any size can be like accidentally knocking over the first domino in the line, and then watching helplessly as the cascade of falling dominoes runs madly throughout the entire house. That's where I am right now. I was only re-doing the living room, but had to move some cabinets out, which required finding a place for them elsewhere, which ended up being my sewing room, which then required a major re-arrangement to accommodate them... you get the idea. I think I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel, and none too soon. My stitching and blogging about stitching has been sadly neglected.

Mr. Wonderful's birthday was last month, and we did manage to get out for a little day trip to celebrate. I got this adorable 4.5" pitcher. In one of my earlier pottery posts, I was fussing about being nuts about pitchers but not really having much use for them. It was hard to justify buying them. Then I decided that loving them was all the justification that I needed, so here we are. Life's too short to deny yourself charming little pitchers. (If you want to see some of my other pieces, click on the "pottery" label at the end of this post or in the right sidebar.)

While we were out trekking the countryside, Mr. Wonderful survived a ferocious chicken attack!

In the surest sign of fall, college football is back! Saturday we went to the Texas game (we are both Texas grads). Of course they lost. We still had a good time (except for the hour and a half rain delay), and we're both just killing time until hockey season starts anyway.

In my last Clover and Lace update I optimistically (and delusional-y) announced that I only had two more lines of verse and the border left and that I could probably finish it by the end of the summer. I knew--even as I was typing it--that I was kidding myself. With everything else going on in this house, I have managed to stitch exactly one, o-n-e, line of the verse. It's not even worth an update. However!

This! This is worth noting! Brooke Nolan has started a new six-part series: Woodland Santa & Friends, available in her Etsy shop. It is A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E. Parts 1-3 are out, and they are available separately or in a bundle. Part 1 is Santa, part 2 is Freddie Fox, and part 3 is Rebecca Rabbit, and y'all they have little outfits! So, so, SO cute! The morning they were released, my cousin texted me a picture and I immediately went out and got my supplies together (I was about to leave to run errands anyway, but you know, that went to the top of the to-do list.)

Did I have time to start them? No. Did I have a zillion other things to get done in the house before I could give myself permission to start them? Yes. Did I have another WIP I need to finish first? Yes. Did I buy them and all the supplies anyway?

YES.

So that's where things stand at my house. 

Big living room redeco: almost done

Big sewing room rearrange (caused by big living room redeco): uh... let's skip that one

Clover and Lace WIP: one line of verse and border left 

Christmas stitching: should've started two months ago

Oh, and Mr. Wonderful and I have another trip to Seagrove, NC planned for this month (see this post). 

But I did get my blog updated! 

The Smallest Things

"Sometimes,' said Pooh, 'the smallest things take up the most room in your heart."

~A.A. Milne, Winnie the Pooh

Clover and Lace Update

I finally got a free weekend to work on my Saturday-Sunday project, Clover and Lace by Misty Hill Studio, and I was able to make good progress. I'm down to the first and last line of the verse, and the border. This is my summer weekend project, and if all goes well this month, I'll be able to finish it on time. 

Fabric Hoard Update (also, cookies)

Confession: I saw this fabric and told Mr. Wonderful, "If I don't get this fabric I will die."

Happily, I'm not dead.

Feast your eyes on this star-spangled, silver-flecked loveliness.

As you can see on the selvage, Fabric Flair calls this Dreamscape Sky Blue. If you visit their website, you'll see they have several variations on this theme, with different names. I've also seen different names used by retailers for this particular fabric. I found mine at Stitches 'n Things, and there it's called Moonless Witch's Sky. It's 28 ct. evenweave. No idea what I'll stitch on it, but now I have it and I won't die. Yay!

Made a couple of new needle minders. This is a tiny one for my smallest projects, made from a little bead from Michael's.

This little guy is from a button pack from Hobby Lobby (I think it's a fairy tale pack). I'm not really into dragons, but he just stole my heart... so small and adorable and green! I added a little glitter to his wings because, well, wings should probably sparkle.

Found this addition for my fox Christmas tree at Hobby Lobby. 

And finally, some low-carb peanut butter chip cookies. I made these using this recipe but substituted peanut butter chips for the chocolate chips, and you know what? We like them better! So good with a glass of cold milk.

The living room re-do is coming along nicely and I'm just about finished with it. That will be a major project out of the way. I've been cleaning out and have a big pile of stuff ready to donate to the thrift shop. Next on my target list is my sewing room. It always gets put last on the list, but it really needs a good clean out before we move (fingers crossed). I plan to spend August working on that project. Once it's done, I'll have the house in good shape in case we get orders in the spring, and I can relax and enjoy the fall and the holidays, without any major projects hanging over me. More time to stitch and bake!

Have a great weekend, and Happy Stitching!

Christmas in July: Red White 'n Blue, Christmas Style

July in the United States is awash in red, white, and blue, but I've fallen in love with this more Christmasy version of vivid red, snowy white, and icy blue. This is Joy Squared from the December 2016 issue of Just Cross Stitch magazine. I made a lot of changes (you can see the original in this post), the biggest one being that I stitched all the blocks together instead of individually. The red is GAST Buckeye Scarlet (is there any other red?), and the fabric is 28 ct. Snow linen by Fabric Flair, available at 123 Stitch.

The super fluffy trim is a snowball garland from Hobby Lobby, and the double-sided, wired ribbon I used for the bow is also from Hobby Lobby. This is great ribbon, by the way. It's got a very sturdy feel to it and is nice to work with. I just purchased these items last week, so they should still be available, but remember what I said a few days ago: shop early!

I wasn't too sure the snowball garland would work for trim when I bought it, but I hadn't seen anything like it before (I like unusual trims) and it was so soft and fluffy I couldn't pass it up, and besides, it makes me happy. I think it reminds me of gluing cotton balls onto pictures of sheep during Sunday school when I was little!

Hope you've enjoyed this little burst of Christmas in July!

Christmas in July: A Dozen Christmas Freebies

Freebies--legal freebies--are just the best, aren't they? It's so much fun to stumble across a really cute free design and add it to your stash. It gives you a little feeling of having won the day. And here's another thing about freebies that I've observed: they seem to give us the freedom to use what we already have and feel comfortable with experimenting. I think perhaps when we buy a design, we subconsciously feel that because we've spent money on it, we have to do it "right" and we search for and purchase just the right fabric and threads. Which is all well and good. That keeps designers and fabric and thread dyers in business. Good for us, good for them. But with a freebie, we seem more willing to dig around in our stash and make do with what we have, substituting and experimenting. That, too, is valuable to us as stitchers. I think it expands our creativity. This sweet little elf freebie is stitched and finished entirely with stuff from my stash. I went a bit nuts on the finishing--two kinds of trim, pearl head pins, a bit of crochet, a rosette, and a tiny pom pom--but that's just fine because she was free and I can do what I want!

I made the rosette by just wrapping a piece of trim into a rose and securing the shape with hot glue.

I've stitched and finished a lot of freebies over the years, and you can check them out by clicking on the "freebie" label at the end of this post or on the right sidebar. I always provide a link to the freebies I show, but as these posts go back years, I can't guarantee all the links are still active. However, here are some really cute Christmas freebies that are on my to-stitch list. All the links are active as of 27 July 2018.

Very pretty "NOEL" and "Merry Christmas" . These are elegantly simple and lovely when stitched up.

A cute Santa design that would lend itself very well to color conversions. Hmmm...

Another "Merry Christmas" in a classic style.

Adorable Christmas House. I have so many ideas for customizing this!

A Stitcher's Tree. Another elegant design that invites experimenting with color.

A joyful Christmas Ball. I really need to do this one for my "JOY" collection.

Gorgeous Candy Cane. Don't let the fuzzy chart fool you, this stitches up beautifully.

Graceful Stag's Head. 

A beautiful Cardinal bringing the Christmas mail.

And finally, a cute Santa Face made up of squiggles. 

Now, then! That's a dozen freebies--hopefully some you haven't seen--to keep you busy! Enjoy!

Christmas in July: Choosing a Quiet Christmas, Part 2

Welcome back! Today I want to share some of the things I have done and do every year to make sure we have the quiet Christmas we want. As I said in yesterday's post, these ideas may not work for you exactly like they work for me, but they may help you come up with your own solutions. If you missed yesterday's post, you may want to scroll down and catch up.

The things I do fall into three broad categories that I think cover the main sources of holiday stress.

1) Set boundaries
2) Scale back
3) Shop early

Set boundaries.
Setting boundaries can apply to so many things during the holiday season, but let's face it: one of the main sources of holiday stress is family. I only want to touch on this lightly because it can be a sensitive subject, but I think it's important to admit that the three things that make families go bonkers are weddings, funerals, and... Christmas. There are so many people who dread the holidays because it means a lot of interaction with family members who are not easy to get along with. Let me say up front, I'm not talking about people with legitimate mental or physical health issues. I'm talking about family members who are just plain ornery, as we say in Texas. You know who I'm talking about. Allow me to offer up a couple thoughts.

*You teach people how to treat you. If Aunt Sephronia makes everyone miserable during the holidays, maybe it's because everyone around her has inadvertently taught her that if she's cantankerous enough, she'll get her way. There are many, many people who function this way because it works, and they hold their families hostage to their whims. Don't be a hostage. Don't be rude. Don't be confrontational. Just don't be a hostage.

*Christmas is for you, too. If you're wearing yourself to a shadow to meet the demands of family during the holidays, perhaps it's time to recognize that you get to enjoy Christmas, too. It's okay to say, "No." One of my favorite sayings is, " 'No' is a complete sentence." You don't owe anyone an explanation for declining to do something or go somewhere or make something. And here's a radical idea: Simply not wanting to do something is reason enough not to do it. You don't have to be suffering from pneumonia to have a good reason to decline baking eight dozen cookies for your cousin's kids' school bake sale. You can just not want to. She'll figure it out.

Scale back.
Trust me, scaling back will make you happy. There are oodles of ways to do this (see yesterday's post for a few ideas).  Here are a few more things to consider.

*Organize your Christmas stuff. Really. Go through all of it, keep only the things you love, donate what you don't keep, and store it in an orderly way. This will make your holiday decorating so much easier. Christmas stuff tends to mysteriously accumulate from year to year, and if you're not regularly cleaning it out, you'll find yourself storing more stuff than you're pulling out to display. Remember, "When you keep everything, you honor nothing."

*Go small. Give yourself permission to go small on Christmas decorating now and then, or permanently. I love Christmas and I have... I've lost count of how many trees. I think when they're all up there are... six or seven? A couple are big, a couple are sort of medium-sized, and the rest are little table top ones. When they're all out, wow! But I don't put them all out every year. Some years I just don't want to mess with it. I have what I call "Christmas in a box." I made this up years ago because as a military family, we're not always sure what our holidays are going to look like. It's a small tree, tree skirt, lights, and decorations all stored in the same little box. When I need it, I can pull out one box and set up an adorable Christmas tree in half an hour. You could adapt this idea to include your most treasured decorations, the ones you want to use every year. Store them together so that you don't have to root through all your decorations to find them.

*Let go of "The Perfect Gift." The Perfect Gift was already given, about 2,000 years ago. You're never going to top it. Let go of the idea that every person on your shopping list has to have a gift that will take their breath away. More radical thinking: Maybe not everyone on your shopping list even needs a store-bought gift. Consider a charity donation in their name. Consider taking them out to nice lunch. Consider baking them their favorite cookies. I always laugh at those holiday car commercials where one spouse surprises the other with a new car draped in a giant bow. Who buys a car without talking to their spouse about it?! But it's part of the culture we live in that insists that Christmas gifts be lavish and over-the-top. Let that go. Most of us have so much already.

Shop early.
There is a large and vocal segment of the population that hates seeing Christmas stuff appear in the summer and I am not a part of it! Usually, the first stores to start putting out Christmas items are the big craft stores, for obvious reasons. Holiday craft fairs often start as early as October, and people who make items to sell have to get an early start. My favorite source for supplies, Hobby Lobby, is always the first in my area to begin putting out Christmas, right after 4th of July. I love it because July is when I really start getting going on making things for Christmas, including my annual Christmas Open House here on my blog. There are several good reasons to shop as early as possible.

*You spread expenses out over months instead of weeks. Even if you've scaled back your Christmas giving/spending, there are still always expenses associated with the holidays, especially if you're making things. I know there are people who don't even want to think about Christmas until after Thanksgiving, but for me, compressing holiday spending (not to mention everything else) into three weeks instead of spreading it out over four or five months is asking for a stressful Christmas. We no longer buy gifts for everyone at Christmas (we now focus on birthdays, instead), but back when we did, I assigned one month of the year to one or two people and shopped for their Christmas gift during that month (example: shop for Grandmother in February, shop for Aunt in March, etc.). By the time December rolled around, there were only one or two gifts left to find. Note: this is much easier to do if you've let go of the idea of The Perfect Gift.

*The selection is great. By December, most Christmas merchandise looks like a tornado has been through it. When you're shopping in the summer or early fall, everything is well-stocked and in good order. Don't fall prey to the idea that you have to wait until December to find all the best stuff. Let gooooo of the idea of The Perfect Gift!

*You have the store to yourself. When I'm shopping for Christmas craft supplies or gifts, I am almost always the only one doing so. Does that sound like a fantasy? The dream can be yours if you shop early, when no one else is paying attention to Christmas stuff. If you've not experienced this type of Christmas shopping, let me assure you, it's a delight. I haven't been caught up in a Christmas shopping crowd or traffic in... at least a decade. Probably longer. I just don't do it. When everyone else is out there battling each other for The Perfect Gift, I'm at home stitching.

*****

I hope some of my thoughts over the last couple of days have been helpful to you on your journey to a quiet Christmas. I'd like to leave you with one final thought that I try to keep in mind all the time, not just at Christmas.

Don't let the perfect become the enemy of the good.

If you're a perfectionist like I am, you know that perfectionism has a critical flaw: it's better to not do something at all rather than do it imperfectly. Don't buy into this idea at Christmas or at any other time. Don't believe that because you can't have a "perfect Christmas" you can't have a good one. Don't believe that because circumstances may have changed, beloved relatives may have passed, you can't have a good Christmas. You can make your Christmas warm and special and quiet and good.

LHN's Winter Sampler from the 2009 Just Cross Stitch Christmas Ornament Issue

(stitching info here)

If you've made it through the last two monster posts... thank you for reading! And come back tomorrow for more Christmas in July (but fewer words)!