trick or treat . . .

. . . and Happy Halloween!  I am participating in the Trick or Treat blog hop, offered by Jo at Serendipitous Stitching!!  If you haven't visited her blog yet, head over there and definitely check it out.  She's got a list of participating blogs, and at each blog you'll find a clue to the mystery Halloween phrase!  You'll find my clue at the bottom of this post!

You know how there's spooky fun and spooky scary?  For the most part, I'm definitely a fan of spooky fun! When I was trying to figure out something new to 'brew up' for this stitchy hop, I kept coming up short.  Until I did a search for the word "Halloween" in my saved embroidery patterns, and pulled up this:

This was a cute coloring page I'd saved from holiday-crafts-and-creations.com. I've found that coloring pages make great embroidery, applique, and wool applique patterns!

So I edited the image to get just the frame I wanted . . .

Super easy! Then I needed to decide how to "color" my selection! I decided to go with wool on wool applique.

It was a fast an easy little piece to put together.  It fits perfectly in my mini stand, too!

I love how the yellow face pieces really glow!!!  Spooky fun, right?? I also did something new (to me, at least) with the outline blanket stitch around the background.  I skipped the corners and did a French knot in the center of the open block. I like the way it looks! Linking up also with the slow Sunday stitching post at Kathy's Quilts.  :)

This guy is spooky scary . . .

Todd found him wrapped up cozily in a box of tarps. Trying to stay warm I guess.  Todd said he was not quite as big as the palm of his hand. You'd have heard me from WHEREVER you are if I'd been the one to find him! I'm not even sure how Todd could get that close to snap a photo. <shudder>

Thanks for dropping by!!  My clue for the mystery Halloween phrase is . . .

Yup .. O!  Now head back to Jo's blog Serendipitous Stitching for the final clue.  Have a spooky fun day!!! 

:)

day four . . .

It's MY turn for sharing on the Witchy Stitchy Blog Hop!  Annnnd . . . it also MY BIRTHDAY! 

♥  Local grandgirls visited for a birthday eve visit yesterday!  ♥

Hexie Pumpkin Mug Rug
(this is the fourth or fifth I've made...but this one is for ME!)

A birthday means there's a giveaway in here somewhere. ;)

So when I signed on for this hop in July, I gave myself a couple of hours  several days  weeks  until five days ago to figure out what I wanted to make/share.  I love autumn and the less ghoulish elements of Halloween and I didn't want to do anything too creepy or ghoulish.  

I adore ... no seriously ... I ADORE pumpkins in all their glorious colors, shapes, and sizes, but pumpkins didn't quite seem to fit the Witchy Stitchy theme, so I could start there, but I couldn't end there.  With a little inspiration from where I live (Camp MACOBA) as a year-round camp host and from one of my favorite quilting books, I got an idea.

Spiders . . .

Oh yeah, no lack of live, creepy, crawly inspiration there!  *shudder*

I mean, c'mon...what respectable witch brews a cauldron of brew without a pinch of spider or a dash of web?!  Or at the very least, keeps a spider on a leash as a pet??!

Exactly.

So being that I'm a small project person and adore a darling mug rug (or two or ten) for *every* season, here's my offering:

A spiderweb mug rug and a couple of yo-yo spiders.  These yo-yo spiders are so super cute and easy to make!  

I found them in Simple Fabric Folding for Halloween, along with a lot of other spooky fun projects!

The pumpkin is also super easy ... one roll of toilet paper, one fat quarter, and a nice sized twig for the stem.  

They're a GREAT way to decorate when you have little, curious hands around, as are the yo-yo spiders!!

Okay, so I know I mentioned it was my birthday and a giveaway.  That's the kind of birthday girl I am!  I want *everyone* to have a happy day on my birthday!  So here's the deal.  Leave a kind birthday greeting in the comments and follow me in some shape, form or fashion (and let me know you do), and I'll draw a winner for a copy of Simple Fabric Folding for Halloween for your very own! I'll accept entries through the 11th and announce a winner sometime on Sunday the 13th.  :)

Many thanks to Carol of Just Let Me Quilt for coordinating another super blog hop! These are a lot of work to put together and she does a beautiful job of  it!  Be sure, also, to visit the rest of the blogs that are hopping today:

Beaquilter

Homespun Hannah's Blog

MooseStashQuilting

Cynthia's Creating Ark

It’s A T-Sweet Day!

this is me!  ---->Count it *all* JOY!

Bethni L. – Hosted at Just Let Me Quilt

Thank you for stopping by . . . and I'll have the final list of participants posted if you come by tomorrow!

Bewitchingly stitchingly yours,

:)

worked towards the weekend . . .

Just a little peek into what I've been doing this past week . . . 

I made little 'favors' for my new Sunday School gals . . . 

Nothing big, just a fun little something for them to enjoy.  And definitely NOT a means to ingratiate myself with them.  ;)

I found this cute little silk flower arrangement while in Maryland. 

I layered pinto beans, popcorn and split peas in the jar to add a little eye interest.  

Sitting on the candy corn topper, it says "Happy Fall!"

Here are the fabrics I'm playing with for my Wicked blog hop block(s?): 

Are you curious to know what I'm making?!?  My day on the hop is Tuesday the 30th -- come back and check it out then!  Tuesday the 30th also happens to be the day they'll induce Kim, if June doesn't make an appearance on her own before then!

And finally, I played around with my sweet gum 'fruits' and here's what I've got . . .

I'm not so sure I'm finished.  I don't like the way it hangs with the wire, so I may try and attach a broad ribbon to hang it with.  I *do* like the way it sparkles!  I will say it was a booger to make!

And today's Foto Finish theme is "spooky or creepy".  This little guy jumped out of the grass the other day when Todd and I were picnicking at the pond.

Really he's a good spider ... but since the whole brown recluse bite incident, I feel all spiders are kinda creepy, so he's my offering!  Be sure to check out the rest of the *creepy* offerings over at Cat Patches!

And have a GREAT weekend!!!

:)

what a happy day!

Yesterday was *all* words, so today will be mostly photos . . . and mostly photos of what I wrote about yesterday! :)

I had a *great* visit to the orthopedist today! She wrote me orders for physical therapy! Yay! First they are going to transition me to 'full weight bearing' in the boot, and then they'll progress to 'full weight bearing' without the boot! I have to go three times a week for the next four weeks. And, I got a handicap sticker. Which means as soon as I can walk to my car, I can DRIVE! I'm seeing light . . . the end of the tunnel is getting closer! I have my first PT appointment TODAY!

Then I went to my family doctor, who told me the bite site looks very, very good and that I dodged a big bullet! Whew! :) In retrospect, four days in the hospital is preferable to what could have happened with a brown recluse spider bite.

I get to see this little fellow today, too!


Here are the baby wrens . . . can you see them?
I counted at least four!


Aren't they cute??
They are *so* noisy when Mrs. Wren is
there with a juicy worm. But they know
if they see me, they need to pipe down and get small.

There's the little nest, tucked into the corner.
I didn't move the plant to get a good picture,
because I didn't want to frighten the baby birdies.

One of the benefits of being at the house this
summer was we were here for the figs! They are ripe and yummy.

And sooooo happy! :)


Last one: Sawyer Practices His ABC's!


Here's the back side of the Russia block
I'm back to working on. I really do love this quilting stencil.


And here's the sweet package I received from Karen,
at Little Pieces of My Life.

See?! A present for me!

Cute little pin, isn't it??

And aren't these edges beautiful handiwork???

Yay! And I'm off!

:)

visual updates . . .

I had a very productive Saturday! I got finished two of the three redwork blocks I have left on the Sawyer Quilt . . .

Sawyer Waters the Garden

and Sawyer Wants an Apple Pie!

I started this last one, but will probably not finish it until tomorrow. I'm not sure what I'll name this one, either! I already did Sawyer's First Day of School, so I'm hanging. Any ideas??

I told my sisters I'd post the progressive pictures I took of my spider bite (sorry anyone else). But it's not really gruesome. :)

This was it the morning after.


This was it five days later.


And this is it yesterday, or eleven days later. It will be what it'll be.

And I know this is silly, but like I said yesterday, I'm so *proud* of the flexibility in my right foot, I wanted to share that too!!

Here it is, pointing as hard as I can make it point! You can see the wound has closed up and is healing very nicely, too.

And here it is flexed back as far as it will go. Yay for me!

I think an entry like this needs to be balanced out with a new picture of my sweet grandbaby:

Happy days!

:)