The Pink Witch: Halloween All Year 'Round

Free Cross Stitch Blogs Closing

2010-12-20T11:27:00.005-05:00

All other cross stitch are closing on January 1, 2011.

Save any links you want because all links will be deleted on January 1st. I am not saving any links, so I will not be able to e-mail anyone free links if they miss the deadline.

So visit those blogs now and save your links! This will be the final post "alert" to stitchers to save your links now!

This "Halloween" blog will remain open for now, but no longer updated.

I am taking a break from quilting to return to knitting.

Knitters can follow along at my knitting blog.

Happy stitching!

New Direction for The Blog

2010-09-19T20:41:00.002-04:00

A classic example of "taking more than you can chew" - I kept expanding the types of cross stitch chart categories I could find. It came to the point that my free time was spent editing cross stitch links and adding to this blog.

Visitors will notice I did discontinue some of the cross stitch categories I thought I could manage (not!). It is important to continue to find and post new Halloween/Autumn & cat free charts as I find them. However, I am discontinuing looking for other charts.

I briefly worked as a quilt designer back in 2003-2004. I had the good fortune to have my quilt blocks purchased by Quiltmaker & Harris Publications. I have toyed with the idea of doing more designing at some point.

But for now I want to make some quilts for my daughter's house and my son's apartment (give them a little of me).

And I haven't worked on any of my art dolls in a couple years. I have so many quilt/bead/doll projects to make and/or complete.

In order to keep the theme of Halloween for the blog, I will at some point post links to free Halloween quilt patterns.

For now - happy stitching or quilting!

Blackwork, Angels, SAL's, Biscornu and More

2010-08-30T08:40:00.011-04:00

Between Elphaba & puppy classes, quilting, repairing my daughter's silver jewelry and many more hobbies, summer has flown by. This was basically my daughter's last summer home. She is entering her senior year and will not be home next summer as she will be in her master's program. She and a couple friends have rented a house, so I have been busy making some items (including quilts) for house since she will be living in it for 2 years. The only one still "at home" (besides my husband, the dogs and the cats) is my son who is entering his sophomore year. He still has a couple more summer vacations to come home.

So of course all blogs have been neglected. I do have to post this freebie for a series of charts for a SAL of Blackwork Perfume Bottles

This is the same designer who did the series of Blackwork thimble charts.

Au Papotage des Dames is doing a series of "Biscornu - 15 Faces of Angels". Scroll through older postings for all the charts. Look for the angel image with telecharger on it to click on for the charts. She is also doing an SAL of the Alphabet. Keep clicking on "next" pages to get all the letter charts. I keep repeating myself, but sign up for her newsletter; she does send out free charts in some newsletters which are not available on her website.

Here are other pages for all her free charts and links to other free charts. Not all may work; some outside sites may have dead links and some charts may be from her newsletter only. For example she did an SAL of cows whose charts came only in her newsletters.

http://aupapotagedesdames.over-blog.com/categorie-11320595.html

http://aupapotagedesdames.over-blog.com/categorie-11014855.html

http://aupapotagedesdames.over-blog.com/categorie-10982809.html

On a different note, for crocheters, she has a page on how to crochet a scrubbie; go to Google Tranlsate to translate the directions.

Keeping up with the Blackwork theme is a new site for free Blackwork charts:

M'Lady Osanna's Blackwork Designs

Among her charts is a chart for a Blackwork dragonfly.

How about Angels??

Here is a webpage from a designer with some great Angel charts. Here are her Monochrome charts with Angels and Blackwork too. Her Christmas cross stitch charts include a really cute and easy Nutcracker chart.

She also has a couple of Ladybug charts. Look under the word "Címkék" in the righthand column for all her categories of free charts - just keep clicking to see what kind of designs are in each of the categories.

Summer Quilting

2010-08-30T08:28:00.004-04:00

Summer is almost over - the overnight temperatures are in the 50's and the first lake-effect rains have fallen (pre-cersor to the winter lake-effect snow).

We have a shabby old screened porch that I decorate for outdoor living every summer. I make all the pillows from "orphan" vintage/antique quilt blocks. Orphan blocks means you have only one or two of the same design - not even enough for a miniquilt.

I have a wonderful glider from the 30's. However since one of the springs needs repair (not sure it can be done since it is all metal), I cover it with pillows so no one will sit there. I do have 2 more wicker chairs not pictured, including a gray wicker rocker from the 30's (which I have had since I was a teen).

The porch is also my summer sewing room since the porch table is so much bigger than our little kitchen table. I have been busy layering quilt tops and basting them, so I can quilt them inside when the weather is cooler. The red/white one is just a small "cheater" print for a table runner for my daughter's house. The rooster weathervane is a Debbie Mumm pattern. The top of the quilt is a huge rising sun - machine appliqued.

I will get more pictures of other quilt tops I am basting.

2010-08-30T08:27:00.000-04:00

Hundreds Free Cross Stitch Links

2010-08-19T08:18:00.005-04:00

I literally have hundreds of links to designers and other websites with probably at thousand free charts when all added together. Some designers are so prolific it is hard to keep up with their postings and sort all their charts into categories. There are a few designers with over 100 pages on their blogs of free cross stitch charts.
I spend a couple hours everyday trying to sort out free links into categories so that the reader can find the charts easier. However, there are just some sites that would take weeks.

I started a new category of "Cross Designers". While I keep sorting out the smaller sites, I have posted the larger sites into this category until such time that I can devote time to going through large sites with up to 400 pages (there is a site with 400 pages of charts).

Make A Difference for a Police K-9
I like to periodically remind readers of my personal favorite charity: bulletproof vests for police dogs.

Bulletproof vests are not standard issue for the majority of police departments. Vests cost about $700 each and there is usually no room in tight budgets for the vests. Police K-9 dogs risk their lives too and deserve to be protected against bullets and stab wounds. Vest 'N P.D.P. is a non-profit organization dedicated to raising funds for police dogs across the U.S. Many departments are on waiting lists for months before they can finally receive a precious vest.
Consider either donating to the organization: Vest 'N P.D.P. or contacting your local law enforcement agency to find out how you can help provide for these wonderful and dedicated dogs.

Vest 'NP.D.P. even accepts Paypal donations no matter how small - all donations are greatly appreciated. Pass the website onto your friends to spread the word that police K-9's are not automatically issued bulletproof vests - some agencies have budgets that cannot accomodate purchasing the vests.

Child's Easy Summer Towel & New Knitting Links

2010-08-14T08:18:00.010-04:00

Here is a simple free pattern to make a backback which becomes a hooded beach towel for children. The pattern uses 1 1/2 towels (so of course you will need 2 towels). It is a very simple pattern, easy to sew and is just adorable. Mommies and Grandmas, get out your sewing machines and sew up a couple of these for your special children. A beach is not necessary; they can also be used for a trip to a city park pool.

http://www.thetraintocrazy.com/tutorial-hooded-beach-towel-backpack.html

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I collect Pink Flamingos, so I was surprised to find a freebie for one. Knitting Memories has a free pattern for a Pink Flamingo dishcloth:

http://knittingmemories.blogspot.com/2007/06/always-flamingo.html

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Visit the other blogs for recently added links:

http://pinkcelticwitch.blogspot.com/

http://pinkchristmaswitch.blogspot.com/

http://the-pink-witch-knits.blogspot.com/

Free Cross Stitch Links

2010-08-13T09:32:00.009-04:00

Make sure to change your bookmark for Sandrine Creations, she has changed her blog site:

http://www.sandrinecreations.fr/blog/

Her free charts are too numerous to describe, but they are all unique and very creative. Her charts do include Halloween, cats, ladybugs, horses, Christmas, Nesting Dolls (Matroeskas) and so much more.

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A Japanese site with Japanese, French and English:

No text needed to click on the color charts.

Charts include: Blackwork birds, several seasonal Biscornu charts and one Biscornu chart with squirrels and acorns.

http://pipposusaitalia.blog.shinobi.jp/Category/8/

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Tantes zolder

http://myauntsattic.web-log.nl/

Site is full of archived antique and vintage embroidery patterns for cross stitch. Some have Quaker themes.

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Half Cross Stitch Tutorial:

DMC's page for a tutorial on the half cross stitch:

http://www.dmc-usa.com/majic/pageServer/0501000321/en_US/Half-Cross-Stitch.html

2010-08-13T09:32:00.001-04:00

Free Cross Stitch & Sewing Links

2010-08-10T15:44:00.009-04:00

I have several links to share with you today. For Pink Flamingo lovers I was not able to find a new free chart, but I did find a retail site with a large selection of Pink Flamingo charts and kits for sale:

http://www.abcstitch.com/subjects_php/subjects.php?mainsub=birds&subject=flamingo&itemtype=

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For anyone interested in sewing a fabric case for their laptop computer, here is a blog with step by step directions:

http://sewing.about.com/od/bagstotespurseproject/ss/linedlaptopcase.htm

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Summer is a time for watermelons and here is a free chart from the Sampler Girl (she sometimes will delete charts from her archives so save it while you can).

http://atthehoneysuckletree.blogspot.com/2010/06/free-chart-for-summer-stitching-i-love.html

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Sylvia's SAL: "My Little Heart" continues:

http://syku66.blogspot.com/search/label/Sal%20%22My%20little%20heart%22

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And a new (to me) French designer: Katouya:

http://katouya.unblog.fr/index-des-grilles-et-des-sal-crees-par-katouya/

No thumbnail pictures, but LOTS of free chart links to click on.

Happy sewing and stitching!

Free Cross Stitch & Sewing Links

2010-08-02T18:51:00.009-04:00

Google Translate works very well for cross stitch sites not in English:

http://translate.google.com/#

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This designer has cross stitch designs which look like they were influenced by traditional Quaker samplers:

http://libertyneedlework.blogspot.com/

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Here is the blog with free designs from the famous French designer Isabelle Vautier:

http://isav.over-blog.com/categorie-394086.html

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The Janlynn Design Company has monthly free charts and includes archives:

http://www.janlynn.com/FreeCrossStitchCharts.cfm

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A designer whose designs are primarily for children and also Christmas charts:

http://cantinhopontox.blogs.sapo.pt/

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Don't forget to keep up with the montly charts from Tom & Lily's 2010 SAL. At the end of the SAL, the charts are not archived.

http://www.uneanneepasse.com/

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And for something completely different: I love the look of "retro" fabrics and by this I mean fabrics and colors of the 1950's. I have been making pillows all summer long for my summer porch using "retro" fabrics and quilt blocks. I came across this pattern for making quilted mitt pot holders - it caught my attention because of the wonderful fabrics they used. Of course any fabric scheme can be used and the pattern is easy enough for beginners. A great way to personalize a kitchen.

http://sew4home.com/projects/kitchen-linens/580-retro-fun-quilted-mitt-pot-holders

2010-07-27T12:31:00.001-04:00

2010-07-25T14:08:00.000-04:00

2010-07-01T19:12:00.003-04:00

Elphaba is now 10 weekks & 3 days old. She has been sleeping 7 hours a night since she was 8 weeks old plus 3 days - highly unusual for a pup of that age!

I have been doing some small portable projects: in the pictures below are Ladybug Love from OakHaven and the January cup from the SanMan newsletter (re-done as a Christmas cup).

Sorry I've been really out of date updating all the blogs with new links. I've been a bit under the weather and hope to get back working soon.

I really recommend the following website:

http://aupapotagedesdames.over-blog.com/

If you don't mind several messages a day, this designer sends some of her free charts through her e-mail newsletter only. In addition, I have found many new cross stitch designers with free charts through these newsletters.

A couple new links are:

http://stickeule.blogspot.com/search/label/Freebies

http://bloganniexxx.blogspot.com/search/label/LE%20MIE%20CREAZIONI%20%2F%20MES%20GRILLES

http://lamatassinarossa.blogspot.com/search/label/freebie

http://lacontesselepointdecroix.blogspot.com/search/label/schemi%20free

Happy Stitching!

2010-07-01T12:17:00.000-04:00

2010-06-23T13:18:00.002-04:00

Time to think of Christmas and start stitching Christmas ornaments. My time has been limited, but not due to Elphaba who has been an extraordinary puppy.

Crate trained her first night at exactly 8 weeks and sleeping through the night (6 to 7 hours) at 8 weeks and 4 days.

I posted these links on the Christmas blog, but I wanted to make sure readers of this blog also visited the Christmas blog. You can always keep up by being a follower on the Christmas blog when I post links.

The blog Borduurblog is well worth a visit for Christmas and other themed charts.

the link: http://borduurblog.blogspot.com/search/label/geborduurde%20freebies is to find all the freebies on her blog.

The link: http://borduurblog.blogspot.com/search/label/kerstballen is to read all the articles on her free Christmas ball ornament charts.

The link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/24823820@N03/sets/72157607385535796 is one she maintains to post all her Christmas ornament charts in one site for stitchers.

Her Christmas ball charts are GREAT small, portable projects - you can stitch up a bunch of ornaments very quickly. Her entire blog is worth a visit.

Happy stitching!

2010-06-23T13:17:00.000-04:00

2010-06-19T12:53:00.005-04:00

My free time has been limited to add links to specific categories. However I found several nice links to free charts that I would like to share even though they have not yet been sorted. Here, then, are a list of some newly found links, not yet categorized into any of the blogs:

https://www.kreuzstich-kreativ.de/galerie/gutscheine.html

https://www.kreuzstich-kreativ.de/galerie/monatsbilder.html

http://les-douces-heures-de-piatine.over-blog.com/categorie-10946093.html

http://www.abbygaelle.org/categorie-10967343.html

http://www.il-mondo-di-ezechiele.com/categorie-10892546.html

http://site.rezoweb.com/loisirs/pointdecroix/fichiers.html (link from a newsletter by http://aupapotagedesdames.over-blog.com/)

Note: must be on the http://aupapotagedesdames.over-blog.com/ mailing list in order to be able to get all the freebie charts. Some charts only available through the newsletter.

http://aupaysdesbiscornus.over-blog.com/categorie-10841896.html

http://katouya.unblog.fr/index-des-grilles-et-des-sal-crees-par-katouya/

The blog now has been visited over 30,000 times

2010-06-19T12:52:00.001-04:00

2010-06-16T20:41:00.002-04:00

On "hiatus" from renovations & updates while adjusting to the addition of Elphaba (8 weeks old on June 11th) and home with us.

2010-06-16T20:39:00.000-04:00

2010-06-13T14:28:00.004-04:00

It certainly seemed like a witch spell this afternoon as I opened up my Blogger template. The entire "Layout" section has been eliminated.

Gone is the pop-up menu were you could quickly select different sections to add to your blog: link lists, text, hypertext links and more. It can still be done, by just clicking on "add a gadget" on the blog sections. I hope Blogger will go back and fix their software to allow for the pop-up menu of the Blog lay-out.

It will make updating this blog (and my other blogs) slower.

2010-06-13T14:22:00.001-04:00

2010-06-10T12:21:00.000-04:00

2010-06-02T13:55:00.002-04:00

I'm coming home in 9 days!!!

2010-05-29T11:56:00.001-04:00

Elphaba & her new lime green (of course) harness & leash: 45 days old.

Click here for her baby photo album:
Baby Elphaba

2010-05-28T16:41:00.003-04:00

I am feeling much braver after finishing my "12 year" sampler (an Autumn sampler by the Prairie Schooler). I originally planned to do another Prairie Schooler sampler of the same size. The design is a Halloween sampler.
Instead I decided to attempt a very large sampler (to me anyways) and I started one of Kathy Barrick-Dieter's Tombstone angel charts.

I have the complete collection of all the Tombstone charts including the ones from Chartmakers published by Kathy in the late 1990's.

So I chose the Carolina Handley chart.

The inscription is:

"He first Deceased

She for a Little

tri'd to live

Without him

liked it not and di'd"

I am using 18 count oatmeal Aida; a light colored linen was used for the chart model.

OK - the stitching started on 27May2010 - I only have limited uninterrupted stitching time until Elphaba arrives on June 11th.

2010-05-28T15:33:00.003-04:00

Baby Elphaba - 24 May 2010

40 days old (born April 16th)

Never too young to start learning that show dog pose; she is learning quickly.

2010-05-21T12:15:00.003-04:00

Elphaba & her 2 sisters at 34 days old.

Baby Photo Album Here:
Baby Elphaba

2010-05-15T16:54:00.004-04:00

My database of free Halloween cross stitch patterns is probably the largest on the Internet. Because it is so large, finding new links is a challenge. It is so much fun to find new links and pass them on! Where to begin???

In addition to the new charts added to the Halloween/Autumn & cat categories, new charts have been found and added under the Spider & Skeleton category.

Under the new free cat links is a link to a chart of a knitting cat - very cute. I found a new chart on a site already listed in Halloween/Autumn. There is a chart for Happy Halloween in Chinese from Yana Creation. And check out the chart for a Blackwork Witch from Fan de Petites Croix.

Check out all the newly added links and some edited older links.

As always, the newest charts can be found by the date added to the blog.

2010-05-15T15:24:00.001-04:00

Welcome Spring!

The Lilacs and Azaleas are blooming!

2010-05-15T12:13:00.003-04:00

Elphaba & her sisters - 28 days old. The first thing my daughter did after returning from college for the summer is to go visit our new little baby. Sorry, the picture is dark from low lighting.

2010-05-09T07:38:00.004-04:00

Here I am holding Elphaba at 22 days old - her eyes have opened and she is making great progress in learning to walk.Here is the breeder (Ja'Laine) holding one of Elphaba's two sisters (both yellow). Ja'Laine breeds high quality puppies with championship parents. Her pups usually sell out before they are even born. They sell out to people like me, putting down a deposit before the litter was born to make sure I was able to get one. People do travel from other states to get one of her pups.

Elphaba and her sister crawling: 22 days old

2010-05-05T13:12:00.001-04:00

Just found a link for a German Shepherd Chart:

Le Blog de Kali

It is on the blog post for April 22, 2010

2010-05-05T11:58:00.004-04:00

Either I've become a faster stitcher or else I am just stitching more frequently. And it is probably the later - I want to enjoy as much stitching as possible before chasing a new Lab puppy around the house.

In the late 1990's Kathy Barrick-Dieter had 2 cross stitch design label names:

Barrick Samplers

Chartmakers

(She also published the Goode Huswife's charts at this same time)
Under "Chartmakers", she designed a series of 8 "Tombstone Angel" charts (starting around 1996). I had only collected a few when I belatedly discovered the rest were no longer available. Thankfully with the birth of Ebay, it took awhile, but I was eventually able to get all 8 charts.

I have so far finished 3 of the Tombstone Angels (pictures at Webshots). Instead of starting the Prairie Schooler sampler, I decided to stitch a 4th Tombstone Angel: Prudence Blackstone. I was surprised at how fast I could stitch her. I am almost finished and it only took a day and a half (slow for most, fast for me). The picture below of the wip was taken right after I had started stitching it. It is almost finished now.

Only 4 more Tombstone Angels to stitch now.

2010-05-05T11:51:00.000-04:00

2010-05-02T15:29:00.007-04:00

New links have been found and added to the column of free Halloween/Autumn cross stitch & free cat cross stitch links.

I have finished 2 more long neglected wip's. I am now ready to start the Prairie Schooler "When Witches Go Riding" sampler or another tombstone angel. I have recently discovered a designer with several tombstone themed cross stitch charts:

The Primitive Needle
A couple of her charts are already on my "wish list".

Here are my finishes:

Chouett'alors! Vogue the Galere (Sail the Galley)

The Prairie Schooler: The Fox & the Grapes

2010-05-02T15:27:00.000-04:00

2010-04-28T17:15:00.002-04:00

We met our new black Lab puppy today. She is 12 days old today and her eyes are not yet open. Her name will be Elphaba. We were suppose to bring home her brother, but he died unexpectedly at 9 days old.

Elphaba is a cutie and will be a happy addition to our home.

2010-04-27T17:39:00.006-04:00

I get so busy finding and posting free links that I rarely have my own finished work to publish. I have been on a stitching spree to get my wip's done before the puppy arrives and I have no life of my own. Many new finishes are not pictured here, but are pictured in my Webshots folder.

This is a series of 4 ornaments I have been working on since 1999 - my wip's are very old. All of them are Prairie Schooler and I believe they came from the book "Prairie Lodge".

This is my BIG finish! The leaflet was published in 1997; I started work shortly after it was published. I finally finished stitching it today, April 27, 2010. It was stitched on 18 count oatmeal Aida cloth.

The "to Do" List:

I'm going to do it! I hope it won't take 10 years, but I just have to stitch the sampler chart from Prairie Schooler book 148 - "When Witches Go Riding". I will be using 18 count ivory colored Aida cloth. It has been cut, the floss has been gathered and the chart is ready to be stitched.

But I do have a wip Prairie Schooler that also needs attention:

This is a picture of the leaflet with the finished chart.

And I still do have several TombStone Angels to stitch. But finishing the large autumn sampler has given me a boost of confidence to tackle another large project.

I get to meet Liir this weekend at 2 weeks old! Yeah!!

2010-04-27T17:36:00.001-04:00

We woke up to winter, but it was sunny and spring again by 1:00. It was cold enough to snow, but not cold enough to stick to very much. One of the few things the snow stuck to was Gunston's back.

2010-04-22T14:47:00.000-04:00

2010-04-18T17:27:00.006-04:00

Purchases, a finish and new blog links and a new baby boy.

After finding out that Carriage House Samplings & The Goode Huswife were going out of the cross stitch business, I quickly went to 123stitch.com to get any remaining charts I still wanted before they were all gone.
My Purchases:

The Goode Huswife

Raven - Never MoreThe Goode Huswife:
Raven's Roost
Carriage House Samplings:

Happy Halloween

My finish is the Chinese Symbol of Peace. It was a freebie from an unknown designer.

I used one of DMC's Variations floss

2010-04-18T17:18:00.004-04:00

Gunston:

Here is our 7 year old black Labrador named Gunston at 8 weeks old. We are looking forward to having another silly puppy in the house in 8 weeks.

Naptime - picture one

Naptime picture two
Just playing around - he loved that cardboard box

Aren't these the sweetest eyes??

2010-04-09T11:02:00.003-04:00

Visitors will notice a change in the side columns of the blog. I eliminated the groups of craft & beaded links in order to have more room for other cross stitch links.

I added 3 new sets of links on the blog:

Blog Chart Series & Sal's

Blog Sites New Charts Added Frequently; Old Are Archived

Blog Sites with Frequent Changing Charts & No Archives

I know I have a hard time remembering which designer is doing what SAL and which site changes their charts frequently. I want to be able to go to a website (my blog) and check through a list of sites to remind me of any SAL's or Series, and to look for those frequently changed charts.

If you have any sites to add to these categories, please contact me at:

miniaturequiltmaker @ yahoo .com

Just remove all the spaces - it should be just one long name ending in ".com"

This way the "phishing" software can't pick up on my e-mail address.

Thank You!

Nancy

2010-04-03T17:53:00.010-04:00

Blog Update - April 3rd 2010

I sometimes links to free cross stitch charts that do not fall "neatly" into one of the categories of free cross stitch links on my blog.

Here are some blogs of note:

Cindy Mae Freebies - she has wonderful retail patterns including a set of charts for mini Quaker Christmas ornaments.

Embroider Bee: scroll down to the bottom of the page and keep clicking on "older entries". Her pdf files for all her freebies is in a green colored box of "my shared files" on the right. She frequently updates her blog with new freebies.

Bits of Floss: the home page for her newest freebies is:

Bits of Floss; click on "older posts" at the time for archived freebies.

Enjoy stitching!

2010-03-23T14:10:00.007-04:00

Finding new free Halloween/Autumn cross stitch links that I don't already have posted does not happen often these days. But I am happy to say I found a couple new links. Look for the date of 3/23/2010 next to the posted link.
One link I have posted here before is not working too well right now. I'm not sure if it is my computer or the website:

De Fil En Aiguille66240

Just keep clicking - some of the pages are working.

I made an amazing find today in my stash of antique quilts/quilt blocks. I have a collection I purchased from an antique quilt dealer of 121 brand Grandmother's Garden quilt blocks. All are brand new and all are 1940's fabric. The hexagon "flowers" all have a solid yellow center; the first outer ring is a solid color. This middle ring may be a solid, yellow, blue, pink or green, but it is always one solid color in the middle ring. The outermost ring is where the fun begins. It is easy enough to date the blocks, because I have seen most of them in 1930's reproduction fabrics designed by Darlene Zimmerman, Judi Rothermel and others over the last approx. 15 years when these lines of fabrics were first manufactured. These 121 blocks are all in brand new condition with no marks or stains. I could not find 2 blocks alike in all 121 (amazing)

I have the sales receipt with the blocks so I do (embarassed) know what I paid. I have no idea what I was thinking - the dealer had purchased them from an estate sale. Of course I know I paid a lot more to get them from the quilt dealer. It is a gray & rainy day so the pictures were taken indoors - why they have that awful dingy look. The actual blocks are very pristine and colorful. I haven't sold anything on EBay in 4 years, but I guess I'll have to give it a try.

Any dealer would only paid a very small fraction of their real value.

First - really nice pictures of the lot of blocks.

Happy stitching, knitting or quilting!

Nancy

2010-03-22T12:54:00.002-04:00

I am usually trying to update the blog with new free links, I don't usually have time to show what cross-stitching I am currently doing (now that winter & knitting have come to an end).

I feel so guilty that I have not finished 2 of the SanMan charts from the 2009 SAL; this is because both need VERY little stitching to finish them.

This first one is Fright Night 6; VERY little stitching is left on the bottom of the chart:

This is another 2009 SanMan Halloween SAL; it is Fright Night 6. I have to finish:

the border around the design; the whiskers on the cat; and 4 tiny orange stars. I am not stitching the corner bats because I have some wonderful bat buttons to substitute for the stitching.

Continuing on with another SanMan chart, this was a free chart offered in December '09. It is labeled "Day 5 Christmas Doodle". I changed out the shades of the reds & green floss colors from the suggested colors. This one will take me awhile; I want to make sure everything is a perfect mirror image. It is very common to have to rip out a stitch or two with these designs (at least for me it is).

And now for something completely different: this chart was a freebie off the internet and my apologies, I do not remember where I found it. The design is the Chinese symbol for Peace.
The top picture shows the orientation of the design.

I am using one of the DMC "Variations" floss as a "monochrome" for the whole design. This has been a challenge only because the lines of the chart are very faint; at least the cross stitch blocks are very solid black in order to count stitches.

A quilt from my past: a mini-apple quilt banner quilt. The blocks are approx. 2" square. I added my own leaf designs done in machine applique. The brown stems were also stitched by machine.

This is a quilt from my daughter's past. I managed to get her to make 3 small quilts when she was around 9. She did not find any fun in quilting (Lacrosse was calling her name). The center star block was made by her grandmother. Courtney paper pieced the sailboat blocks and sewed the quilt together. I sewed the binding to the edges and she hand-stitched it in place on the back of the quilt. This was her 3rd and last quilt.

2010-03-18T16:07:00.002-04:00

My St. Patrick's Day Present:

The Snow Geese only come for a day or two on their way up north. You have to be very alert to see them every year. So far I have been pretty lucky, but not so lucky as this year. This year was amazing!!! They chose to settle on several hundred acres of cornfields. My pictures are only covering a small portion of just one cornfield - multiply that and you get the picture. Thousands of them everywhere and I got to within about 12 feet of them. I was in Snow Geese heaven!!!!!! They are so stunning in flight, flashing those white & silver wings.

What a treat that they came by on St. Patrick's Day and how lucky I live right near the cornfields to be able to hear them and go looking for them!

2010-03-06T14:58:00.007-05:00

A reminder for St. Patrick's Day charts: I added some new ones over the last one and some of them are small enough to finish by the 17th. Click on the "Celtic Blog" to visit the site.

I find many great free cross stitch links in my searches, but many of them don't fit the categories on my blogs (such as Halloween, cats, Christmas, Irish, etc.)
So I will try to start regularly posting these links before I forget where I put them.
Start stitching & enjoy!

Pin Head Stitching for Starting & Ending Stitches
Cindy Mae: designs and posts freebies in many themes.
Needle Print: Quaker themed - difficult to download charts.
La Soffitta del tempo perduto: a very LARGE Quaker sampler

Nancy

2010-03-05T15:32:00.003-05:00

There are some areas of the country looking for their first violets or other bulb flowers. In my backyard we still have a snowpack of 3 to 4 feet. Even our Saint Bernard has trouble negotiating around the yard. The 2 dogs (primarily the Saint Bernard) were able to "carve out" a track around the yard in order to get from one point to another.

We had a 3 foot snow storm that obliterated the site where I was measuring snow. It is now a 6 foot pack of snow just barely out my back door. I have to estimate we received about 120 inches so far this year with the last storm. I will have to figure out another way to measure new fallen snow.

So, no surprise, I am still in a knitting mode for the following reasons:

1. My daughter and I are obsessed with "beanies"

2. And with all that snow and cold, our local charities will still be in need of warm hats for a long time.

Before my "little trouble" with computer malware, I had posted all the new links I found among the 3 cross stitch blogs. And I have to back and re-find and add the links which were dropped. I was in the middle of a Blogger posting and had just clicked "post". Needless to say, it never posted and I could not recover the text and the blog updates. So I am in the slow, slow process of finding and re-posting all the links.

You can find new Irish charts (most of them small) on the Celtic blog in time for St. Patrick's Day.

Happy Stitching!

Nancy

Beanie made with orange "Mesa Yarn"

Ocean/tropical colored Vignette yarn:

Jewel Vignette Yarn

2010-02-04T15:13:00.003-05:00

I just had to write - our town had a very unexpected (and VERY welcome) vistor today:

The sun!!!!
I can't even remember how long it has been when we have seen the sun and had a sunny day. Of course it is still cold, snowpack on the ground, but still, a most welcome change!!

Along with the pictures of the sun are the pictures of our Christmas decorations. The red/gold tree and Santa are still on the porch. You can see the hanging fringe Christmas lights in the picture of our house. On the inside I took down all the ornaments and other decorations, but my husband has still not taken down the tree!
Here are my sun & Christmas pictures:

On this beautiful day, Gunston (the black Lab) and I were off to JoAnn's to look at yarn for both myself and my daughter. We do not have any local yarn shops; the nearest one is about a one hour drive from my house. So for immediate yarn purchase I have to depend on JoAnn's, Michaels and A.C. Moore. All of these stores have started to stock nice yarns other than the usual cheap acrylic yarns. The selection is limited, so I often use the web as well. And although the JoAnn's stores carry a limited amount of really nice yarn, their website carries a selection of yarns not in the stores, including brands such as NY Yarns.
I was after Debbie Mumm's Transitions yarns because it was no longer available on the web, but it can still be found in some stores. I was in luck and was able to get Transitions yarn in the color I wanted: a hand-painted green to olive blend:

And just for fun I found this Jane Austen quiz site. You can take the quiz and find out which Jane Austen character you most resemble in your personality.
I am supposed to be Elizabeth Bennet.
Just click on the picture at the bottom of the post to go to the quiz.
I've been playing too much on the computer - it's time to start knitting!
Happy stitching or knitting!!

Nancy

2010-02-02T20:55:00.003-05:00

I am getting a brand new treadmill tomorrow!!! Living on a country highway with all the snow we get makes it a tad dangerous to get exercise by walking on the highway. I have been nagging for a treadmill for years so I could have a way of exercising in the winter months. A friend gave us a very OLD design treadmill a few years ago. It operated only with the momentum of you walking it, forcing the treadmill belt to move.
It was impossible to walk; we gave it to another friend who did not mind the short-comings of the way the treadmill worked.

"Gunston" however really liked the treadmill; I wonder how he will "help" me walk on the new one.

2010-02-02T20:30:00.002-05:00

I have not yet posted the following blog into any of my freebie categories, so for now, visit the site and see all the free charts she has to offer.

Stitches Crumble.

Those noticing the new Amber Alert ticker tape and wishing for one for their own blog visit here:

Amber Alert Code

I used the short code; you just paste into the "add java script" box.

If you are like me and are internet "illiterate" when it comes to slang abbreviations, I have found a slang dictionary to help out:

Internet Slang Words

And one more website with freebie charts whose links are not yet posted on my blog:

Les Broideries d' Helene

The most recent one is an elephant standing on a pumpkin.

My own stitching is still knitting - charity hats & scarves. As long as it is cold and there is snow on the ground, it is knitting weather! Although there are lots of projects one can knit in warmer weather. Here is a site for a really cute daisy hat for a toddler:

Daisy Hat

For those not wanting to knit the daisy petals, white felt could be used instead.

Total snowfall so far this winter - somewhere between 80 & 85 inches. When it gets this high, it is hard to count the new additional snow.

Happy stitching whether it is cross stitch or knitting!

Nancy

2010-01-20T16:29:00.007-05:00

We had a few days of very lovely weather - we actually saw the sun for a few days. The day before yesterday was back to winter "as usual". For all I talk about snow, one might think I lived in the Sierra Mountains (or similar location). Not - I live in north central NY; anyone not from the area do not know about "lake effect snow" unless the Weather Channel is doing a story on Buffalo, NY. We receive anywhere from 100 to 150 inches of snow each winter. A few years ago we actually received 200 inches in one winter. The tiny red circle on the map is my geographic location. It is tiny and hard to see (sorry I couldn't enlarge the image any further on Blogger).

You can click on the NY state map above for a larger picture in my Webshots folder.

This picture was taken of the snow hanging down over my large bay window. The snow is so large, almost all the window has been covered.

I don't mind the snow unless it interferes with my driving (like today). The plows had not been by to salt the road, so I could not take Stella into the village for our walk today.

The image below could be me except: I don't wear my hair in a bun; I don't wear a shawl; I sit on a nice comfy couch instead of a wooden rocker chair; and, most importantly, the view outside my window is a snow scene, not a lovely summer garden.

My cross stitch has been on hold - for one who doesn't have a job outside the home, I seem to lack a lot of free time. I have committed to knitting some scarves and hats to a local shelter house. And Stella and I are working on some advanced obedience challenges. I signed us up for a class, but it doesn't start until the beginning of March. In the meantime, Stella & I are practicing. My day seems to move along very quickly.

Here are some cross stitch links:

2 new Nativity chart links on my Christmas blog

A cross stitch chart of a Saint Bernard

Knitters & crocheters you may be interested in Ravelry. It is a community forum dedicated to knitting and crocheting. It requires registration (free), but it has hundreds of free patterns on the site.
Whatever you are stitching: knitting, crocheting or cross stitch, I hope you do not have any "frogs" or dropped stitches (ouchies).

Nancy & "Stella"

2010-01-03T12:03:00.002-05:00

I am always talking about our big snows - well winter has finally arrived. We have received over 45 inches of snow since the 2nd week in December. And it is still snowing - it has snowed everyday for the last 12 days; sometimes heavy, sometimes light, but all piling up. You can't measure the 45 inches of snow with a yardstick, because it all packs down. And the wind has been blowing hard causing white-out's on the country highway where we live. There are a lot of farms and the wind whips that snow from the farm land right across the highway and you get the idea - sometimes impassable. Additional snow up to 12 inches more is predicted for today through tomorrow. It is piling up at our back door; it's starting to make it a little difficult to open the back door for the dogs. Here is the view out my back door:

Gunston and Stella can't walk in the snow - it is too deep for them. They have to do a buuny-like hop to get around in the snow. Of course the snow is NOT an issue for Clarence who is in "Saint Bernard Snow Heaven".

The snow has "frosted" my husband's "red & gold" tree on our front porch.

All our big snow is from "lake effect snow" - not from some traditional snow storm. We live in a region well known for lake effect snow. When cold winter winds blow across the relatively warm water of the Great Lakes, the moisture is picked up by the cold winds and then dumped on dry land as snow (and lots of it).

One can never have too many knit hats here and the snow has put me in the mood to knit. I have completed 3 hats and almost finished the 4th.

Happy New Year!

Nancy & "Stella"

2009-12-30T16:02:00.003-05:00

Christmas is over and the snow continues to fall. Our white Christmas has been extended for several days now. Driving conditions were bad Monday & Tuesday, but the sun is out today.

And although the sun is out shining today, temperatures are bitter cold. The high temperatures are below 10 degrees.

Cold enough for skating on arenas, but not enough days of bitter cold to safely freeze over the lake at the shallow end.

I have started some winter knitting now that my rush to finish ornaments in time for Christmas is over. I have made several beanies, but all were experiments in order to find the right fit I wanted on my head. I tend to ignore published patterns and just pick up needles and yarn. I have finally finished the pattern to my satisfaction and now for the yarn.

I am using Patons Classic Merino Wool in "forest" shade. You can see all the shades of the Paton wool at the Mary Maxim link below:

Mary Maxim Patons Wool

Happy New Year

Nancy & "Stella"

2009-12-24T11:03:00.003-05:00

Wishing you a peaceful Christmas EveAnd hoping Santa does not get caught in your chimney
And my request for Christmas & all year 'round. I know I am a "broken record" on this subject, but everyone has their own special charity to devote money & time. There are so many needs of so many charities especially this time of year. My special charity is the need of police K-9 officers. The inital cost of obtaining & training a dog for police work can cost well over $10,000 (up to $18,000). Many departments go for years without K-9 police officers especially in these tough economic times.
For those departments with K-9's there are the additional costs of daily care including medical, food and more.
Every day, 365 days a year, these unsung heroes protect us along with their "people" police officer partners. Most people do not realize how much it costs to purchase and maintain a police K-9 officer program.
One way you can help out is to help provide bullet-proof vests to K-9 officers. Vests are NOT standard issue for K-9 officers. These vests cost $700 (and more) each and police departments sometimes wait months, even years to be able to outfit their K-9 officers with vests.
Please remember them now and all year 'round. Help give them the gift of life by donating to Vest 'N P.D.P. Vest 'N P.D.P. is a non-profit organization devoted to raising money to purchase bullet-proof vests to K-9 officers all across the U.S. Vest 'N P.D.P. even accepts Paypal donations. Every donation, no matter how small or large is greatly appreciated.
"Stella" & I thank you!

A Joyeux Noel to all! Nancy & "Stella"

2009-12-22T11:07:00.004-05:00

My Nativity Collection 2009

Nativities from left to right in order of display:

The first one is a child's cloth Nativity; it was a gift to my 21 year old daughter when she was 3 years old. The camel and sheep are hidden inside so the cats won't steal them as toys.

The tall figures of Joseph, Jesus & Mary are one of two additions this year.

The small wooden Nativity box was a present from a friend who bought it in South America.

The wooden Nativity box with the doors closed.

Note the clear plastic set in front of the box is missing Mary. A few years ago my daughter had the idea that Jesus should not appear in any Nativity until Christmas day. Well, needless to say a lot of Jesus figures were lost (and a couple Mary figures) and it has only been until this year that all have been recovered except for two: I am missing Mary from the small clear plastic set in front of the box and I am also missing Mary from the ceramic thimble set (that one is broken and I'm not sure I can repair it).

The pretty blue ceramic one is actually an ornament. However it is very heavy and looks out of place on the tree. It does fit in perfectly with the other Nativity sets.

The Nativity with the word "Peace" is the second of two additions this year.

Happy Holidays and remember to donate to the fund for bullet-proof vests for police K-9 officers. Please help give them the gift of life. Any donation, no matter how small is greatly appreciated. And Vest 'N P.D.P. does accept Paypal donations!

Stella & I thank you!!

Happy Holidays!

Nancy & Stella

2009-12-21T14:13:00.006-05:00

The first thing I want to point out at the beginning of this post is a post on my Christmas blog. I have posted decorations on how to make a super-easy and cute Christmas ornament from only Christmas fabric and fusible web. Visit my Christmas blog and it is the first post for Dec. 21st. You can make a bunch of them in time for Christmas and it is a great project for kids too!
The Christmas Pink Witch

This is a picture of the two "cat criminals" in our house. Like all cats, they love to steal things and Christmas is the best time of year for all those wonderful Christmas ornaments and decorations to steal and play with. My collection of Nativities is especially vulnerable to their stealing. But, Teddy carries Christmas stealing to a whole new level. He has an amazing ability to leap up very high (really high) and take quilts off the wall and then run off with them. Not only Christmas quilts of course, any wall quilt hung up is a bed to be taken down and used. These are not small quilts - they measure up to 3 1/2 feet square and the bottom edge of where they hang is about 3 feet off the floor. So he has to leap up at least 4 to 5 feet to knock a quilt off the wall. I still hang them and hope he doesn't notice or is not in the mood to take them down.

I am almost ready - still hand sewing the finishing details on some cross-stitch ornaments. All the food prep is done by my husband and gifts are ready for our 2 kids home from college.

I decided to embarass myself and take pictures of my sewing room and show everyone how hard it is for me to walk around in the room and work. OK, first off there is a lot of stuff in the room: tubs of fabric everyway, 2 tables (one for cutting, one for sewing), a guest bed covered in quilts, boxes of fabric and other items, including Teddy. I have pictures of 2 angles of my room: one from the doorway looking out and one from against the bed looking to the doorway. Notice I also have an iron board up in addition to more boxes of fabric, patterns, buttons and other craft items. Note the scratch marks on the wall right at the doorway. The wall covering is not paint, but a rough fabric almost linen-like. It has proved to be a "cat magnet". I have not been able to curtail them from scratching on it. Although I only have indoor cats (for their safety), I also do not declay them. Which can lead to "kitty cat trouble" sometimes.

The most important feature of my sewing room is that "my gang of three" insist on being inside the sewing room with me.

My sewing room from the doorway looking in:

My sewing room from the bed looking towards the doorway (closets also full of fabric, my quilts (finished and unfinished) and some antique quilts and quilt tops.

And last, a close-up of Teddy taking a nap. Only Velma is missing from this picture.

***Starting with today's post on both blogs, I want to remind everyone this holiday season of the gift of life for K-9 police officers. Any amount no matter how small donated to the non-profit fund Vest 'N P.D.P. is most welcomed! They even accept Paypal which makes it very easy to donate. Vests cost $700 each and Vest 'N P.D.P. helps to provide bullet-proof vests (helps against stabbing too) for K-9 officers all over the U.S. As these K-9 officers are working to keep us safe 365 days a year, please remember to think of them.

The need is so great and it takes so long to raise money for just one vest (weeks to months). Please keep them in your hearts not only in this holiday season, but all year round.***

Stella & I thank you!!

Happy Holidays!

Nancy & Stella

2009-12-10T15:08:00.002-05:00

Our little snow elf getting ready to deliver our snow for the winter. Last night 3 feet of snow fell on the Lake Effect area 2 1/2 hours north of us. The wind was blowing directly east so we lucked out: too far south to get the Lake Effect winds (at least last night)

If you have not visited the Christmas blog lately, you really should take a look. If there is a free Christmas or winter cross stitch out there, it is probably listed on my blog:

Pink Christmas Witch
Among the new charts listed are free Nativity cross stitch chart links.

And there are also new free Penguin cross stitch chart links posted too!

Happy Holidays!

Nancy & "Stella"

2009-12-05T17:17:00.005-05:00

Well the calendar for our area says winter should have arrived a month ago. We have had the most extraordinary beginning to winter. The temperatures have been incredibly mild and records have been set for mildest temperature and the longest period the region has ever gone without significant snow. I'm sure Mother Nature is getting ready to make up for our snow deficit. Houston gets snow and we get 40 degree days - unbelievable!

I love this little graphic - it would be my ideal Christmas present: a sleigh full of Labrador and German Shepherd puppies! Of course the sleigh is missing one Saint Bernard.

We are probably the only household around here who has not yet put up any lights, Christmas trees or other decorations. My son is usually in charge of all that and he is away at college. I need to get my husband to at least put up the house lights to welcome the kids home from college.

My stitching projects are Christmas ornaments. I have several stitched which are in need of finishing. Pictures are in my albums: Christmas Ornaments and my OakHaven folder where I have several stitched pieces which need to be finished into ornaments.
Don't forget, you can find links to free Christmas cross stitch charts at my Christmas blog.

This time of year many people do contribute to many deserving charities. I am going to my plug in for my favorite charity: Vest 'N P.D.P. They are a non-profit organization to raise money for bullet-proof vests for police dogs all across the United States. The vests cost $700 each and many police departments (large and small) cannot afford the cost in their budgets. These dogs work 24 hours a day, 365 days a year protecting our community doing a very dangerous job. Please remember these "unsung heroes" when making contributions to charities this holiday season.

The ending picture is my black Labrador doing look-out duty over his domain. Clarence (Saint Bernard) and Stella (German Shephed) have no interest in joining Gunston for "look-out" duty. A few years ago I had a bird dog named Daphne who would sit with Gunston on duty. Gunston had one corner (the same one in the picture now) and Daphne would have the other corner to his right. They could stay out there for hours just staring at their territory.

Isn't she a beauty? I cherish the few years I was able to have with her.

Hoping your holiday "preparation" season goes smoothly and you don't have to meet to many "scrooges" while preparing for your holiday.

Nancy & "Stella"

2009-11-30T17:10:00.003-05:00

Opening news for today is that Clarence had his surgery for removal of 2 tumors/cysts. We won't know the results of the biopsies for a few days. Clarence is a little "dopey" and stumbling around tonight while still under the effect of the anesthesia.

My husband is gathering the Christmas lights to put up around our house. I can't believe the number of houses whose Christmas lights all came on at the same time - the day after Thanksgiving...........

And have the kids been good this year? My kids are too old for the "good & bad" list. Since mine are in college and not home, I can only assume they are being good while away.

We had a VERY unseasonably warm autumn. A light dusting of snow the beginning of October and then above normal temperatures (until now). The higher elevations south of us received enough snow to look like sugar-covered hills. We are high in elevation, but not high enough for that snow. We only got a dusting (again). Not to worry: we have a very long winter with snows averaging 100 inches to 150 inches every winter (200 inches one winter!). We will get our share eventually. But until then the air has turned very chilly and going "walkies" with Stella is a battle against cold winds these days.

An update on a website which used to have several free cross stitch charts: The StitcherHood. All the free charts have been removed and are not archived. The site looks like they are just going to feature one at a time, probably changing every month. I have not had time to remove their link from all categories, so just be aware they are only featuring one free chart at a time.

I have to give good news with the above bad news:

Kissy-Cross has a blog with many free (and wonderful!!) charts. Make sure to scroll all the way down to "next page" to get to the free charts on the next page. There are several pages, just keep on clicking on "next page" at the bottom of every page of the freebie section.

Her November 6th post has a great chart of Christmas trees.

The Christmas blog and The Celtic blog have both been updated. There are several new Celtic charts and even a couple new ladybug charts among all the new links posted on The Celtic blog.

Until next time,

Nancy & "Stella"

2009-11-21T17:31:00.007-05:00

My Christmas blog has been very underlooked as I have been concentrating on Halloween for the last few months. I do keep links for free Christmas cross stitch links there:

Christmas Blog

I wanted to point out one link I just found from Purple Kitty Yarns. It is a sheet of miniature Christmas designs perfect for ornaments:

Purple Kitty Yarns

My own stitching finish is "Quaker Star Christmas" from OakHaven Designs. Although hard to tell, it is light green Aida cloth (18 count). The floss used is Carrie's Creations peppermint. I had to cut out the large sections of white in the floss. I also threaded one needle with a red section and one needle with a green section in order to get the random appearance of green and red for the tree.

Here are 2 links to free Christmas ornament charts:

Christmas ornament one
Christmas ornament two

The lump on my Saint Bernard's spine is getting larger, so Monday I take him to the vet for a biopsy. He is old in Saint Bernard years (7); very large dogs have short lifespans. We have only had him for 4 years. He was a rescue Saint we adopted for Christmas 4 years ago. Hopefully it will be benign - he is VERY active for a "geriatric" Saint.

Nancy & "Stella"

2009-11-19T14:28:00.004-05:00

I took these 2 pictures while on my walk with Stella yesterday. The lake is always a beautiful blue when the sun is out shining. Our lake is 16 miles long and is 300 feet at its deepest point. We live on the country highway that Stella and I are walking on.

I found one last Maple tree still holding strong to all its leaves and still in full, glorious colors. It stands out because all the others have bare limbs - the leaves are all gone.
It was a beautiful sunny day with temperatures warmer than normal. As I've said before, we are going to probably pay for it this winter when those lake effect snows start blowing. But for now, Stella and I are enjoying the days we still have to walk before the snow piles up and there is no shoulder on the highway to walk on.

My latest finish is "Give Thanks 2" by OakHaven Designs. It is stitched on 18 count Ivory Aida.

Until next time,

Nancy & "Stella"

P.S. Still some very hard freezes and my pink Geraniums still look untouched.

2009-11-14T13:58:00.003-05:00

The 14th of November and several hard freezes and my pink Geraniums are still as beautiful as ever. They remain completely untouched by the night temperatures that have even fallen into the 20's. They must be a very hardy variety because I have never had any Geraniums last this long before.

I came across a blog which posts links to free sewing tutorials:

Sewing Chic and Unique

The site has a very wide variety of sewing tutorials for many unique items. Stitched cross stitch pieces could be inserted as part of the fabric for some of the projects. Her current feature is tutorials on camera cases, but you can scroll down and see all the past tutorials that have been featured. She has some interesting tutorials on making very unique pincushions and how to make several different 3-dimensional flowers. I would encourage anyone (even beginning sewers) to check this site out.

I am also posting a reminder to take the time to visit Vest 'N P.D.P. and make whatever

donation you can, however small. Vest 'N P.D.P. is a non-profit organization striving to provide K-9 police dogs all across the U.S. with bullet proof vests. They do accept Paypal and any donation, however small, is not only greatly appreciated, but your donation could also save the life of a police K-9 dog.
This charity is special to me & "Stella" and I post occasional reminders to readers to visit the site and read some stories of how the vests have helped a K-9 officer.

Nancy & "Stella"

2009-11-10T16:40:00.004-05:00

After 2 dustings of snow, Mother Nature is giving us a wonderful Indian summer this week. Temperatures are at record setting levels (warm not cold). It is the calm before the storm of winter, so we are enjoying this respite while we can.
The first picture is the ground under my Japanese Maple tree. All of its leaves fell in a beautiful pattern at the base of the tree and it made for a lovely picture:

Just off our deck is a "junior" crab apple tree; it is only a few years old. I loved the way its orange colored apples contrasted with the bare stems and the Evergreen tree in the background. I did not intend for my "gang" to get themselves in the picture; they helped themselves. Of course, my princess "Stella" is front and center in the picture.
Stitching has been for Christmas ornaments. I finished 4 OakHaven snowflake charts. Pictures can be seen in my OakHaven folder in my Webshots album. I also posted other finished charts for Christmas ornaments in their own folder.

Until next time,
Nancy & "Stella"

2009-11-06T13:49:00.005-05:00

This time of year I do switch from Halloween (temporarily) to stitch some Christmas ornaments. Today it was feeling like winter. Our "lake effect" snow fell today - not unexpected this time of year. After all our first dusting of snow was the beginning of October. The heavy snowfall is not far away. It snowed 3 feet on Thanksgiving day a few years ago. All 3 of the above ornament charts are designed by Tonia Pappan of OakHaven Designs. The "itty bitty snowflakes" were stitched on white 14 count Aida using one of the DMC's variations threads. "He is Born" was stitched on 14 count white Aida.

Previously stitched ornaments over the years can be seen in my Webshots album folder, under the album labeled "Christmas Ornaments".

Nancy & "Stella"

2009-10-31T19:58:00.001-04:00

And a Happy Halloween to all,

Nancy & "Stella"

2009-10-30T10:04:00.009-04:00

The day before Halloween and if you still do not have a costume for your child you can check out this link to try and make a quickie costume:

Disney Family Fun Halloween Costumes

And remember keep searching those drug stores, fabric stores and craft stores for some really great discounts on Halloween items for next year.

For this post I have pictured some of my very favorite Halloween "blinkies".

Enjoy!

Happy Halloween,

Nancy & "Stella"

2009-10-24T13:58:00.010-04:00

Only 1 week until Halloween: remember even if you don't have your Halloween stitchery projects finished by the 31st, it is OK to continue stitching Halloween year 'round (although first take some time off to stitch Christmas projects).

I wanted to show some more of my Halloween and Autumn decorations. I made all the pumpkins and they are very easy to sew. Sorry for the wrinkled tablecloth; it was the only way to reduce the glare from the TV set behind them.

All I did was cut out 2 squares of orange colored prints (not orange solid fabrics; using orange prints gives the pumpkins an extra "zing" factor). When cutting the squares you could also round off the top part of the fabric square for a more cone-shaped pumpkin.
My pumpkins were all cut from squares and rectangles. There are no set measurements - experiment for yourself what size to cut. If you are unsure of what size you want, try sketching different sizes on paper before cutting out any fabric.

Sew the fabric squares (or rectangles) wrong sides together; turn right side out. Next stuff the bottom with some sand to weight them which will allow them to stand on their own and not fall over. At this point I also added some cinnamon spice. Stuff with Poly-Fil stuffing (it's the brand I prefer) - leave some room open at the top for gathering. Before gathering, I also added a couple drops of cinnamon oil. When you are done stuffing, turn under the top raw edge and run a gathering stitch all around the top of the pumpkin (I use quilting thread since it is stronger). Pull tight and I mean you have to pull tight - this is the tricky part. You have to hold a small piece of a cinnamon stick inside the opening while pulling the gathering stitches shut. Pull tight and keep taking more stitches around the top to tighten the top of the pumpkin around the cinnamon stick. When finished, tie off, still taking a couple of securing stitches. I then take a toothpick and run a ring of glue around where the fabric of the top of the pumpkin and the cinnamon stick meet for extra insurance. You can then add a strip of green fabric for leaves if desired. I happen to have a small basket that looks great with my pumpkins.

The same method with a couple changes also works for making Jack O' Lanterns (JOL's). This time I did use solid orange color fabric. I used solid orange in many different "hues" to get a more interesting look for my JOL's.
One supply you have to have to make these JOL's is a stencil of JOL faces. These stencils are available only during Halloween from the craft stores. Check where the Halloween items are sold and also check the stencil aisle of the paint section. I purchased mine a few years ago. If you can't find a stencil, you can draw the face.

Before doing any sewing, cut out your orange squares (or rectangles). Take one of them and stencil or draw a face onto the fabric (the face has to be made before doing any sewing). If you have to draw the face, you can try using one of those fabric blue erasable pens which erase with a little water. I have found the purple ones which are supposed to erase on their own, don't always erase and you can be left with purple lines.

You can also try the Internet or coloring books for JOL faces.

Stenciling is done with black craft paint. If you have to draw the face, it is painted black after your face is drawn.

Give the paint time to dry!

The JOL's are then sewn using the same method for the plain pumpkins.

Here are more of my Halloween decorations, some made and some purchased. The black chenille bat with glitzy purple wings was made by my daughter 10 years ago and a "make it and take it" craft day at a local craft store.

I don't have the talent to be able to post a template for cutting a pumpkin, but it really is very simple. Try cutting sizes out with plain paper to try out different sizes. Remember you need to account for the seam allowance for sewing. I use a 1/4" seam allowance.

Until next time,
Nancy "Stella"

2009-10-23T15:14:00.012-04:00

Just 17 days and 23 hours until Halloween!

I made the mistake of bragging about our peak leaf color. Every year (or so it seems), no sooner do the trees reach peak color, a wind storm comes along and strips the trees. This year followed that pattern. I wasn't able to get "pre-wind" pictures. I have to "make do" with the trees and leaves that are left.

Pink Geraniums are certainly not fall colors, but my beautiful flowers have now survived 3 hard freezes without any apparent damage:

This first picture is from my backyard. I have no clue as to its identity, but it is a wonderful blend of pink and lime green at the moment.

Below is also a view from my backyard looking northeast; those are Sugar Maples turning color.

The view north from the end of our driveway onto our highway. Note the three blue reflector lights on the telephone poll in order to find our driveway in pitch black (no street lights on a country highway). We have reflector lights on both the north and south sides of the pole.
From our driveway looking south:
From our front door looking south; the red tree is a Japanese Maple which is vibrant red all year long.
Close-up of the above picture. The Crab Apple tree has little red berries that the birds love from autumn through winter. Almost time for the Pink Flamingo to "hibernate" in the house for the winter.
From our front door looking east; the driveway is to the right; note all the Evergreen trees we have in our front yard.

I wish I could have some really vibrant pictures to show. There are some trees in the village which are still full of color. I have seen some very LARGE Oak and Sugar Maple trees which have not lost their leaves and are full of color. The Oaks turn a striking red in the fall. Our puny little Oak tree is only a toddler and is only "blushing" this fall. For anyone who wants to add some color to their yard, Burning Bushes (that is their name) also turn a VERY vibrant red in the autumn. Our blueberry shrubs sometimes turn red, but usually lose their leaves before developing their color. Since we live in such a cold climate, my husband has planted much of our land with Evergreen trees (Pine etc) in order to keep color all year 'round.

Until next time,
Nancy & "Stella"

2009-10-16T14:57:00.009-04:00

We had a very "white" surprise this morning: all the snow was supposed to stay south. Even though our snow fell very sparsely, Mother Nature was sending out a reminder the "real" snow is just weeks away. I live in the "Lake Effect Snow Belt" of north central NY. We average 130 to 150 inches of snow each winter. We can even get winters of 200 inches (but that happens very infrequently).

Usually the "trick or treaters" have to wear coats over their costumes or bundles of sweats under the costumes since Halloween here is very cold.

Remember to check out the list of Halloween/Autumn free chart websites. I just added several new links in the last 2 days. New charts can be found by the date added next to the designer name.

Lastly on an "off Halloween" topic, please read my blog text entry at the top left of the blog. Most police angencies do NOT have any money to purchase bulletproof vests for their K-9 officers. Bulletproof vests have demonstrated they can save the life of a police K-9 when shot. You would think it would be only natural for any police dog to be wearing one.

However, they cost about $700 each - most police agencies do not have the budget money to buy these expensive vests. Most are dependent on money received from donations and fund-raisers.

There is a way you can help!

There is a wonderful organization Vests 'N P.D.P. whose sole purpose is to raise money to help buy bulletproof vests for K-9 officers all over the U.S. Please consider making a small donation to help save the life of a K-9 officer - many of these dogs are on waiting lists for months before they can receive one.

You can also contact your local law enforcement agency to find out if they are in need of funds for vests for their K-9's.

Make a difference for a K-9 officer - please give your support to Vests 'N P.D.P.

Until next time,

Nancy & "Stella"

2009-10-15T13:12:00.007-04:00

The posts are more frequent this month as the time for Halloween draws near. Check out all the October posts for links to free Halloween projects and new free Halloween cross stitch charts. I have added pictures of my Halloween decorating items to inspire you to start your own "Halloween" house (if only for a few weeks each year).

My latest "find" was today at the local CVS store (I have found "goodies" from them in past years too!). I found the really cute metal spider on display below. It is actually supposed to be a tea candle holder, but it looks great just on its own. They came in 2 colors: green and purple and it was only $2.99. Check your local chain drug stores for their Halloween aisles.

Have you found your costume yet (if you are wearing one?). What about the kids?
You can check out the following websites if you still need help, but time is running short.

Halloween Net

EHow.com

Best Free Stuff Online

No Sew Costumes from FamilyCrafts.com

Halloween costumes from FamilyCrafts.com - many more categories of free costumes to make. Check out all the page links.

For those who are looking for free pumpkin carving templates try the following:
All Cat Templates just what it says: 28 templates of cat only designs
FamilyCrafts - About.com
Geek Tonic - a page of over 40 links to sites with free templates
Pumpkin Lady - no free templates, but free video carving lessons
Hershey's Free Templates - organized by difficulty level

For more links just type in the search terms for free jack o lantern templates (or stencils).

Until next time,
Nancy & "Stella"

2009-10-14T11:45:00.014-04:00

17 Days & 1 hour & Counting

Still time for Halloween projects - and don't forget Autumn projects to display now with your Halloween items and by themselves when Halloween is over (DON'T start decorating for Christmas until the end of November!).

Daffy Cat has a cute Autumn chart for a floss tag (or key chain?)

Autumn Pumpkins

I have had several e-mails asking if the Halloween orange moon with witch graphic on my blog was available as a counted cross stitch chart. I had never seen one until today.

Mrs. Gingerbread has the chart!

The below site is primarily for kids, but it does have widgets for big kids including a Halloween count-down clock for blogs:

http://www.primarygames.com/holidays/halloween/halloween.htm

From this site are Halloween widgets:

http://www.primarygames.com/holidays/halloween/widgets.htm

A Jack O' Lantern Puzzle

http://widgets.primarygames.com/puzzles/dragdrop/halloween/index.htm

and many more interactive projects.

Here is a really cute stuffed bat to make that is easy enough for beginning sewers:

Halloween Bat

More Seasonal Autumn projects (including Halloween) from JoAnn's here:

Autumn Projects

Have a "boo-tiful day"

Nancy & "Stella"

2009-10-12T13:58:00.005-04:00

Halloween 2009 Pictures

Here are the 2009 Halloween decoration pictures. The outside lights are exactly the same as last year. I made the large stuffed ghost and the windsock ghost I purchased about 20 years ago. The large spiderweb made from black rope was a great find several years ago.

Inside Decorations:

I found this sign at a craft boutique several years ago.

This skeleton/mummy was a post-Halloween sale from the local CVS who were slashing prices on all their Halloween items. My favorite spot for it is the kitchen window, so the rod for the window blinds is hanging in its face.

The quilt is made from a "cheater" Halloween panel and embellished with buttons, beads and a jinglebell Jack O' Lantern.

This witch has a motion sensor: it will start talking in a witchy hag voice with several phrases. I keep it by the front door for amusement.

A panorama of Halloween items displayed on the TV cupboard.

Close-up pictures of my indoor Halloween display:

2 ghostly pieces from the "Cat's Meow Village" - found at a thrift store. I paid about $3 each for them. The 2009 collection is selling brand new for $41.

My ghostly cat's meow pieces surrounded by 2 cloth ghosts I made, Jack O' Lanterns from my collection and a small black Halloween cat I made.

The orange spider was a present from my son a couple years ago.

I made the black cat and small ghost. The ghost standing on a stick was a find by my son at a thrift store.

More Halloween cats that I made.

More Jack O' Lanterns all found at thrift stores.

Close-up of my little black Halloween cat.

How about this unique pumpkin made to look like a vintage style Jack O' Lantern. And it too was found at a thrift store. My friends and family are always on the look-out for me.

Have a "bootiful" day!

Nancy & "Stella"

2009-10-08T13:24:00.006-04:00

Only 23 days and 1 hour until Halloween as I write this entry. My son did his usual fabulous job. I haven't taken this year's pictures yet, but the decorating is identical to Halloween 2008. The only difference is that last year I had that wonderful moon coming over my house to add the perfect final touch to the decorations.

I am going to try and get pictures of Halloween decorations inside, but it has been eternally gray and gloomy. Good indoor pictures are not a possibility at the moment.

I hope you can see the huge black spider web hanging in front of the lights. It is made of black rope and it is HUGE!!! I was very lucky to be able to find it for my Halloween house.

I made the large cloth ghost. The windsock is approx. 20 years old (and has held up very, very well!!).

What a classic picture this one is!! What good luck last year to have the almost full moon come up right over the house just in time for Halloween!!

It is not too late to decorate your home. Some stores have already started Halloween sales to get some decorating items for this year.

Halloween AND Christmas!

Visit Chouett'alors to find some very cute Halloween and Christmas charts! Click on "les grilles gratuites. One of her unique designs is a chart of a group of animal "Santas" - a sheep, pig and chicken all with Santa hats on their heads! I also like the "owl witch" flying on a broom. There are several more great charts, so take time to visit her site!

Stores seem to skip Thanksgiving and jump right to Christmas after Halloween. I will be celebrating a very happy Thanksgiving this year (hopefully!!). Oct. 4th was my one year anniversary of almost 2 months in a hospital bed last year for a still undiagnosed medical issue. Thanksgiving was most unpleasant last year. A piece of what was supposed to pass as turkey (looked plastic to me) was placed under the nose of a patient (me) for whom the smell of any food (real or fake) would immediately make me ill. I have had relapses, but none so severe as to land me in the cardiac ward. Right now everyday that I am home and not ill (and not in a hospital bed) is really a blessing and I do appreciate each and every day.

Appreciate everyday you have and find something special in each day.

Have a "boo-tiful" day,

Nancy & "Stella"

2009-10-01T15:10:00.006-04:00

The first of October and dreaming of snow????? The hills north of us received a little wet snow last night. We live in the southern hills (a tad warmer) and only received more cold lake effect (precursor to lake effect snow) rain.

Have you started planning your Halloween decorating? My son is coming home from college today just to decorate the house for Halloween for mom (my husband doesn't "do" Halloween). I am only planning orange lights, my huge spiderweb (made from black rope) and 2 hanging ghosts. My son carves all the Jack O' Lanterns and he won't be here in time. He can carve some very nice designs.

Needed some ideas or templates? Visit this website for links to 40 websites with free templates for carving pumpkins:

pumpkin templates

Stores not only have Halloween items, but have already started doing clearance sales to make room for Christmas. Take a ride to your local craft store to check out what is new (and don't forget large sewing stores like JoAnn's too).

The blog Les Chroniques de Frimousse has posted two new Halloween designs on her blog here:

Les Chroniques de Frimousse

Charts to make her 3-dimensional haunted house are here:

haunted house

Remember her blog is updated regularly and as new charts are added, new pages are added. This causes old bookmarked pages to change and the charts are no longer on the bookmarked pages. You may have to search a few pages more for the charts. She does have 62 pages of freebies.

Now is the time (if you have not started already) to think about making special treats. If you have younger children, you may want to find some Halloween crafts. Here are 2 websites you can visit for ideas:

Better Homes & Garden

Family Fun - novelty treats

Plan now for Halloween - Christmas is not far away. And for us, the snow is not far away either!

Have a "boo-tiful" day,

Nancy & "Stella"

2009-09-25T11:26:00.004-04:00

Time flies by and as I type this, it is just 36 days and 5 hours until Halloween. There is still enough time to get a Halloween project stitched. There are many to chose from on the list from simple to very detailed.

The Cross Eyed Cricket has a seasonal chart of a ghost scarecrow.
The Cross Eyed Cricket rotates their freebies, so get it now - it might not be there long.

The Stitcher Hood is already on the list for a Halloween freebie, but they have added yet another free Halloween chart to their freebie page. The chart has pumpkins, a black cat and a RIP tombstone (formed by the cat's body). Click here for the new chart.

My son is returning home from college next week to put up mom's Halloween decorations (orange hanging lights and a huge black scarecrow made from rope). Thankfully his college is only 1 1/2 hours from home so he can come home to do it. My husband is not very interested in putting them up.

Until next time, have a "boo-tiful" day!
Nancy & "Stella"

2009-08-21T03:11:00.003-04:00

Only 8 days before I officially become an "empty nester". My youngest will be heading off for his first year in college. I do understand why parents of older children always say: time passes so quickly. It seems like yesterday when I took them every week to both the zoo and local aquariam (we had family passes to both) when we were living in Virginia Beach. My husband is a retired Navy officer and Virginia Beach was one of our Navy "homes".

That was about 19 years ago and Now I will have one daughter in her junior year and who will be starting her graduate courses this fall (she is in an accelerated program). My son will be a freshman. The house will be quiet without them around.

My cross stitching is still primarily stitching the 2009 SanMan SAL's for both Halloween and Christmas. I have been scanning my issues of Just Cross Stitches: Christmas ornament specials and deciding what to start stitching for Christmas.

I would like to feature in this post a great French Blog:

ABC Broderie

On the left side of the column look for the term "Les Grilles Gratuites".

Under this term are 12 categories of free charts to look through. After clicking on a category, use the right side blog scroll button to see all the charts in that one category. The charts on this site are not all in the same format: there are pdf and wxs files. I did not look at all the dozens of charts, but there could also be jpeg files.

After clicking on the image you would like the chart for, a pop-up box will appear. Look for the box with the word: Telecharger. Click on the Telecharger box to get the cross stitch chart.

The wxs files can be opened with Easy Cross software. You can download a free demonstration version of this software.

Until next time,

Nancy & "Stella"

2009-08-11T11:10:00.004-04:00

Stella & I are back stitching and "surfing" again! Thank you to all who e-mailed during my hiatus.

First off, check the Celtic blog for a brand new Ladybug chart. It is hard to find new free Ladybug charts, but I keep looking. Anyone who knows of a free Ladybug chart not on my link list, please e-mail me.

For those that did not read the July 15th post, there are 2 new links to free Halloween cross stitch charts.

In less than 3 weeks, I will offically be an "empty nester" as my youngest starts his first year at college. Besides the company (and noise of teenagers), they are both my biggest helpers when I am ill. Stella and the "boys" have not yet mastered the art of household chores. It will be very quiet during long winter evenings while waiting for my husband to return home from work (contrary to popular misconception, the best teachers put in very long hours of hard work and I can personally attest to that since I used to be a teacher too.) He leaves early and rarely arrives back home before 6:00 p.m. The "kids" (dogs) know how to sack out and watch TV, but they are not great conversationalists unless they start an episode of "world wide doggie wrestling match". Then there can be a lot of racket in the house.

I have been sorting through WIP's and new charts I want to do. I did finish Carriage House Samplings the "Letter Y". My daugter attends the Univ. of Rochester and their mascot (who came up with this idea!) is Yellow Jackets.

Until next time, Nancy & "Stella"

2009-07-20T10:35:00.001-04:00

For anyone trying to contact me, please be patient. I have been ill again. I will be up and writing when I feel better.

2009-07-15T10:39:00.007-04:00

My data base is so large, it is always a challenge and a surprise to find a new free Halloween chart.

Today I added 2 more links:

Plum Street Samplers - "Coffin Buzz"

and

One Witchy Woman

Until next time,

Nancy & "Stella"

2009-07-04T12:20:00.004-04:00

Time to show an update of the Prairie Schooler's "Fox & the Grapes"

The house is done except for the windows and doors. The fox is done and the dark green for the leaves and vines is done. The lighter green has to be added plus the grapes. This is another of my "decade" unfinished pieces that I am forcing myself to get out of the WFO pile. I am stitching this one fairly quickly which is surprising to me because with my eyesight, I tend to be a little slower these days (Much to my surprise, I had no idea eyes do tend to "fade" after the age of 40-45).

My latest finish is SanMan Day 10 Flakey from the 2009 SAL. I used blue floss and subsituted charms and buttons for some of the stitched areas.

Recent Finishes in the last 3 months are:

Cinnamon Hearts Needlework "Strawberry"

"Winter" by lune d' automne

Prairie Schooler "The Witch is In"

Stitching From the Heartland's Bird Mailbox is an older piece, but a picture has never been posted of it and I really like the designs from this designer (out of print).

2009-06-27T12:18:00.003-04:00

The Prairie Schooler's "The Fox & The Grapes" is another of my "decade unfinished projects". After finishing the "12 year sampler" (Cinnamon Needleworks "Pure Clover Honey"), I am now digging out all my old projects to try and finish (finally). The Prairie Schooler's Fox & The Grapes" may not be a decade old, but it is probably darn close to it. Previously, the only part stitched was the top row of leaves. I have now finished almost all of the side and started on the house. I really should have made a diary of starting dates for all my projects.

Until next time,

Nancy & "Stella"

2009-06-27T11:32:00.005-04:00

Snowflake Charms:

This post is just to show these wonderful charms I just found on EBay and Oriental Trading Company. Perfect for cross stitch snowman charts (especially when I want to stitch a blue snowman). I can use the silver ones with any color snowman or with any Christmas charts.

I purchased my Ebay charms from the following sellers:

M & T's Jewelry & Collectible's

Shel's Toy Chest

and

Scrappin It Up 4 U

Contact these sellers directly to find out if they have more of the charms.

I also found the enamel blue snowflake charms on Oriental Trading site, but they are no longer pictured in the charms section of their site. Oriental Trading Company does have GREAT charms! Many might look familar - many Ebay sellers buy them and re-sell them on Ebay. Oriental Trading Company is always updating their site and they sell Christmas and Halloween charms all year 'round in addition to other charm themes.

Please do not e-mail me to find out if these sellers have more in their inventory or are ordering more. I have no idea what is in there inventory or what they are ordering. Please e-mail the sellers directly.

I am using the blue charms with the current Christmas 2009 SAL chart from SanMan Originals. I made a blue snowman after reading a post from another member. I normally make pink snowmen, but I decided to make a blue one (before I found these charms). I am very excited now to finish the chart and add the charms (plus a button for the nose and beads for the eyes).

Until next time,

Nancy & "Stella"

2009-06-22T16:41:00.005-04:00

Many of you searching the links for free cross stitch charts have noticed the different ways free charts are posted on blogs. Some blogs have really nice pdf files or large black & white charts to print. Other blogs have charts whose lines are hard to read; also there are blogs whose free charts are in color AND whose chart lines are difficult to see. Sorry, but I don't have an easy solution. You can try e-mailing the blog owner for help if the e-mail is readily visible (not often).

With some charts I will e-mail the file to my local copy center and their printer might be able to print a darker version. You can ask the copy center to adjust the toner to darken the grid. A copy center can also print better copies in color and might be able to enlarge the color chart too.

The stitcher might have to come up with some creative solutions to printing some charts. My tip is the local copy center. I can e-mail my copy center any jpeg, gif or pdf file and they can print it directly from my e-mail. A tip for those like me who also do not have color printers. This is a way to get a color chart if you do not have a color printer. It usually costs me about 37 cents per copy.

Remember: respect the copyright of the designers. Copies should only be made for personal use only - as in my case where my printer is limited in quality when trying to print charts.

Until next time,

Nancy & "Stella"

2009-06-17T20:37:00.009-04:00

Knitters & Crocheters take note! There are two new link lists for free Halloween patterns for knitting and crocheting. In addition to all the "crafty links", there are now links specifically for knitting and crocheting.

I would like to point out Martha Stewart's idea for black Jack O' Lanterns. If you have not seen a JOL painted black - these are a great idea! Instead of carving pumpkins after you paint them black, you could leave them uncarved and paint white faces on them (an idea I saw on the cover of a magazine last Halloween). I have wooden JOL luminaries purchased at a craft store a couple years ago. They were sold in the unpainted/unfinished wood section. I was going to paint them orange, but after seeing that magazine picture, I am painted them a base coat of white and I am now painting them black. I am eager to see the result this Halloween.

I won't have my artistic son to decorate the house for me. He is my last child off to college and won't be here. It will be my first Halloween without my favorite decorator. Here is are scenes from Halloween 2008. I made the ghost on the left; the one barely visible to the right is a windsock we have had for about 20 years (it has held up VERY well!!)

Until next time,

Nancy & "Stella"

2009-06-16T21:56:00.004-04:00

I walked my 3 miles today, but did not get any stitching done. I have been eager to "clean up" these blogs and highlight some rather obscure blogs to find interesting links

This post is one guide to overlooked (little known) cross stitch charts. I am referring to the Filet Crochet charts. They are perfect to use for cross stitch charts. About.com has a list of 100 different charts on their website. There is even one for a black spider and a black cat against a heart background (make the background orange and think Halloween). Some charts are in color, others in black and white. There are two specifically for Halloween:

a bat and a Jack O' Lantern.

Until next time,

Nancy & "Stella"

Only 136 days until Halloween

2009-06-15T20:33:00.002-04:00

Thank you all for the nice notes about Buster. I am trying to keep busy with various activities to help me through this time of adjustment. Even with 3 other dogs, Buster had his own unique personality. It happened so fast - I keep turning around expecting to see him.

My daughter is home from college and we try and go on a daily basis to our gym. I walk for 3 to 4 miles (about 1 hour) on the treadmill, she does a complete work-out on all the equipment. I need to lose my winter weight from being a "winter couch potatoe". My husband has agreed to get me my own treadmill if I can show him I will use it on a regular basis. I only bought a limited membership; it will expire about the time my daughter goes back to college (perfect time to get it, since I will be home alone with the dogs). Working out at a gym from November through the beginning of March is not an option. We live 5 miles through blinding, lake-effect snow - many days I can't drive into the village. Hence, the desire to get my own treadmill; it should help in not gaining my usual winter weight. A treadmill should be interesting. We had an OLD, OLD treadmill a few years back (not electronic, you had to push the tread yourself to get it going). Anyways, Gunston the black Lab (and the funniest Lab we have ever had in over 24 years) use to try and walk on it. It will be interesting how he tries to help with a new one.

I have found lots of great new blinkies for Halloween and Christmas to use for my updates. I searched Yahoo! France and found some great sites.

I added new Ladybug and Lily of the Valley charts to the Celtic blog.

I updated this blog, deleting some links (not Cross Stitch) and added better Halloween project links (beading, kids, knitting, crochet and more). Links are hidden everywhere on "clickable" Halloween graphics (not the blinkies).

Additionally, I have started working on the Christmas blog to get it updated too. It too has been updated with Christmas craft links. Again, check out all the "clickable" Christmas images. I am hoping to start working on the knitting blog again soon.

Until next time,

Nancy & "Stella"

P.S. Check out the new blinkie on the right next to the "I love my black Lab" blinkie. That is a Saint Bernard puppy in the blinkie - isn't he cute??

2009-06-08T12:05:00.002-04:00

Remembering "Buster"

Adopted Summer 2000 to 8 June 2009

2009-06-05T16:09:00.003-04:00

There will be limited additions to this blog this month. Just 2 days after learning Buster has a cancer that just developed in only 2 months, we found out today his cancer is a highly maligant version (the reason it has spread so fast). We may have as little as one week, probably no more than 4 weeks. As all dog lovers know, it is a quality of life decision and at what point do you make the decision that will spare them pain and suffering. They cannot tell us and Buster does not look outwardly sick. He has not yet shown any signs of change in health. It is all happening way too fast.

2009-06-04T18:36:00.003-04:00

Buster

Although Stella is the little princess and gets all the attention, I do have 4 dogs in all, not just "princess Stella". Buster has been my permanent side-kick for almost 9 years now. He is a purebred yellow Lab adopted from a Lab rescue in 2000 when he was about 3 years old. He is always at my side - he shadows me by day and is by my side each night. I am always tripping over him because he is always under my feet.

We found out today he has lymphoma and his poor body is full of it. He was just at the vet in the spring and just fine then. He is NOT in any pain as you can see in the picture with a full, happy belly after dinner.

We will treasure the time we have left with him. After 25 years and many dogs, it never gets easier. Which is why I always have several - there is someone always waiting at home.

2009-06-04T18:24:00.003-04:00

This is the post I was planning before I found out about Buster. I would like to picture what flowers were in bloom around our house now. My husband has gone to extraordinary efforts over 9 years to completely:

1. Eliminate all grass (done except for the backyard - a work in progress)

and

2. Have something in bloom from early spring to early fall (which he has accomplished)

Below are pictures of our Weigelas and Rhododendrons in the backyard (more are out in the front yard in the "no grass zone") which are in bloom now.

The hummingbirds are at my back window all the time for the feeder and the flowers.

2009-05-31T09:34:00.007-04:00

Love Watermelons???

Try these links for free watermelon cross stitch charts:

Cyberstitchers - 2 Charts

Free X-Stitch Pattern

Know of another? E-mail me and I will add it to my list.

Nancy & "Stella"

P.S. A watermelon tea cozy pattern - not cross stitch.

NEW!!! 21 June 2009:

Watermelon - Michaels

2009-05-26T14:34:00.007-04:00

Forgot to make a Memorial Day post!!!!! Our little town has a nice parade every year with stops at 2 ceremonies where a flag ceremony is held for veterns (we have 2 different vetern parks). Many members of the community participate. We used to have more fire trucks than any other parade - they came from all over. However NY state instituted a law that fire truck drivers must apply for a special license in order to drive the fire truck somewhere than other to a fire. Too bad, in past years we used to have LOTS of small towns sending their fire trucks.

My husband is a retired Navy officer and marches every year (weather permitting of course).

Here he is with our daughter (our son is somewhere else).

Here he is in the parade: just to the right in the Navy suit with 3 stripes on the sleeve and his white cap.
We have been retired for 9 years now and I do NOT miss Navy life. It's great to live in just one little town and get to know everyone and put down roots in a community.

2009-05-26T14:12:00.004-04:00

I am anxiously awaiting my husband's return from work (high school teacher 13 miles away). We had a baby crow in the yard the other day and he was able to catch it before 4 large dogs could make a tibit out of it. He/she (the young crow) just can't stay away. The adult crows were back again yesterday and all day so far today. You can tell by their cawing they are protecting (trying to) a young one. I found it in the floral bush area behind the Weeping Cherry tree (not easy to get to). My husband was successful removing it the first time.

I hope the young crow can make it out. I just went outside with Stella (on a leash this time, of course!!!) and the adults seemed to have moved to another spot over the creek. If so, I can safely let out the "gang" without any danger to the young crow.

Thankfully mommy Robin has her nest and young-un's right outside the left side front door (we have 2 front doors in addition to the back door) under the eaves. The dogs do not have access there. However, for the last few weeks we have had to go in and out through the garage so as not to disturb her.

I did manage to get a couple pictures of my beautiful white Azaleas outside the right hand door without disturbing mommy Robin. My husband had to quit sanding the white trim and painting the house until they leave.

2009-05-22T12:24:00.004-04:00

Fright Night 4 has been completed and I am ready just in time for Fright Night 5.

I updated my Webshots album with pictures of my beaded scissor fobs and jewelry for sale.

The beaded scissor fobs and jewelry listings can also be found in my Etsy store.

Fright Night 4:

Until next time,

Nancy & "Stella"

2009-05-17T17:03:00.004-04:00

SanMan Originals:
Here are some of the SanMan projects I am working on. I am trying to stitch all 12 charts for the 2009 Halloween SAL and the 12 charts for the 2009 Christmas SAL.

Fright Night 1

Fright Night 2

Fright Night 3

All my finished Sanman Originals (and wip's) can be found here:

http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/album/571702759KCaWJZ

Nancy & "Stella"

2009-05-03T14:47:00.002-04:00

Many new charts were added to my Celtic Pink Witch blog. Among the new charts are ladybugs and charts in the "marine" category (covers everything to do with the sea both creatures and scenery).

I hope to add more new charts to this blog next time.

Nancy & "Stella"