A Bowl Full of Bunnies

Hello everyone! And here I am, finally, on the very last day of April with my bowl full of smalls. I'll bet you thought I wouldn't make it, didn't you? Well, I just went a "little bit" crazy stitching so many bunnies this month. I couldn't stop myself--it was like I was possessed or something! Luckily, my husband was away for a few days last week so I had plenty of time to finish them all up. I'll tell you, it looked like an explosion of pastels in my family room while he was gone: fabrics and trims and buttons and ribbons were scattered everywhere! But, I'm very pleased with the collection that I've created this month... Here are the six newest additions to my April bowl of bunnies...

This Prairie Schooler bunny (from PS Book No. 163 "Signs of Spring") looks so handsome, doesn't he? He's the perfect gentleman rabbit in his little blue vest with gold buttons. I stitched him "over one" on 28 ct. Lambswool Jobelan using the suggested DMC colors (but changed the carrot to DMC 3776). For the finish, I used pieces of a beige and white checked napkin (unused, of course!) and some pale blue ric-rac that perfectly matched the shade of blue in his vest.


What would an April bowl full of finishes be without something that spelled out the name of the month? I chose this cute Lizzie Kate "Bit of April Flip-It" for that honor. This bunny is stitched on 35 ct. natural Northern cross linen using an assortment of threads (DMC, CC, WDW, and Nina's Hand Dyed Threads). The purple is Nina's Eggplant color which was so wonderful to work with. The finishing combined two fabrics (the purple and white seersucker was from an old pair of shorts that must have shrunk in the wash--I couldn't possibly have outgrown them, could I?!) and some bright pink ric-rac. Doesn't it remind you of an Easter egg?


This little bunny was a freebie from Windy Willows which you can find by
clicking here (click on "free chart" at the top of the page). I wish I had chosen a different fabric for this because some of the pretty blue shades don't show up very well, but...too late now! It is stitched on 28 count country mocha Cashel linen using the suggested DMC threads. I chose a very simple finish with some blue floral fabric, a bit of rope-like trim, and a wooden button. Isn't that the cutest teapot that I have it sitting next to? I collect Potting Shed reproduction Dedham pottery and my kitchen is filled with various blue and white bunny themed pieces. I'll have to take a photo of it some time to show you. The little bunnies always manage to make me smile when I'm working in the kitchen!


I love the way stitching just pops on black fabric--it often gives a simple design a much more dramatic look. This is one of my favorite finishes of the month. It is also a freebie which can be found right here at Kissy-Cross. I used 28 ct. black Monaco and DMC threads to stitch this one "over one" and just love the result. It is backed with this pink and white seersucker fabric rescued from an old skirt of mine (that also surely "shrank" in the washing machine). The color isn't true in my photo--it really is more of a pinkish color not a salmon color as it looks (on my monitor, at least). Handmade cording and a tiny pink bow finish off this little oval ornament perfectly, don't you think?












I fell in love with German designer Christiane Dahlbeck's "Mit Kreuzstichen Durchs Jahr." This was my favorite design from it, although I changed it a bit from the original (which had the male bunny with three female bunnies lined up to exchange gifts with him). I chose to just stitch these two and I'm very happy with the final result. Don't they look like they are courting? She has just presented him with a juicy orange carrot and he has given his sweetheart a lovely yellow tulip. Ahh...young love! Not everyone in my family thinks they are so cute--my middle son says they look like aliens... In this case, I knew I wanted to use the green and white polka dot fabric to finish it before I even began stitching so I chose my thread colors (all DMC) based on the fabric. I even added polka dots to Miss Bunny's shirt to coordinate with the fabric! This is stitched on 40 ct. flax Newcastle linen and finished very simply with just a hint of soft yellow ric-rac.


And last, but certainly not least, is another freebie from Sub Rosa which can be found right here. "Welcome Spring" is stitched "over one" on 28 ct. black Monaco with the same DMC threads that I used on the previous Kissy-Cross freebie. I call them my "Prairie Schooler" color palette because they are so often used in those designs. In this case the colors I chose were DMC 223, 224, 3053, and 611. I finished this as a flat mounted piece with some dusty pink handmade cording and a tiny sage green bow to hide the point where the cording ends meet. Aren't the Columbine flowers in front of it beautiful this spring--sure wish they would last into the summer!

So, that's it! Whew--I'm never going to stitch that many ornaments in one month again, that's for sure. Here is a photo of all of them along with the two I showed you in my last post. Which is your favorite? I think I still love "Slicker Bunny" the most...

April bunny finishes ~ 2012

And here is the group all settled into my April bowl (which will surely be on display well into May!) What a cheery looking group!

April Bowl of Bunnies

Oh look, a few of their friends from last year's stitching have come to welcome them. If I keep up this bunny addiction of mine, I think I'll need a bigger bowl!

So, now, it's on to May stitching. Does anyone have any themes or small charts to suggest for me? I know flowers will abound; after all what is May without flowers? But, I'd love to hear your ideas, too...

THANK YOU TO:
I was treated to a couple of unexpected gifts last week that I'd love to share with you. First was a belated birthday gift from my dear friend, Mary. Just look at this darling bird that she stitched and framed for me. Isn't it beautiful? I love it, Mary, and the other goodies that you included are so special. The Chessie & Me chart was one I had had my eye on and the blue and yellow threads are perfect--my favorite color combination! She also included a sweet little tin and a magnetic bookmark, along with the cutest little polka-dot scissors. Oh, Mary--you really spoiled me, my friend... Thank you again for each and every gift, but also for your special friendship! Your beautifully stitched piece will have a place of honor in my home.






And from a new friend, Beth, (no blog) who lives on the other side of Pennsylvania, I received this lovely project pouch as a thank you gift. I had sent a small chart to Beth wanting nothing in return, but she thanked me by making me this lovely blue and yellow sunflower-adorned pouch. I wish you could see the tiny zipper pull on it better; it is so cute. She used plastic canvas and stitched my initial into it making a nice sturdy zipper pull. I'm so happy to have "met" you recently, Beth, and I look forward to getting to know you better... I truly love your special gift and know it will be put to good use.

Yesterday, my husband spotted a new mother robin sitting on her nest in the holly bush just outside his den window. And just look at the sweet eggs we spied when she flew away... I never get tired of seeing those beautiful blue eggs each spring. It has to be one of the prettiest colors in the world, don't you think? Thanks to my middle son for snapping the photo--I am just too short to be able to get a good shot. I guess he's good for something even if he does think my rabbit couple resemble aliens!!

So, April is over...on to May and, hopefully, more sunshine and warmer days. I hope you all have a very special week ahead. I'll be heading up to New York again to visit and help out my parents so I may be a bit out of touch, but I'll catch up with everyone when I return. As always, I want you to know just how much I appreciate each and every one of you. You are a great bunch of friends! Bye for now...

A Pair of Hares and a Quintet of Winners

Good morning everyone! Hope your week has been going well...I imagine most of you are anxious to read who won my giveaway so I'll get to that soon, but first I want to thank you all for the comments on my last post of my "Nature's Alphabet" finish. I was overwhelmed by your kind thoughts--I've never had that many comments on a post (other than a giveaway post) before. Each morning when I opened my email and saw a new comment waiting there, it was like starting the day with a little gift--it really was!

Anyway, on to more important business... First of all, I want to thank all of you who entered--I was amazed that these simple gifts got so much of a response! I had my husband draw the winners out of a hat (well, actually a paper lunch bag!) the other night and they are as follows:

Grand Prize Winner:

CHRISTINA at "Whilst Iris Naps"

Prairie Schooler Winner:
BARBI at "Blissfully Stitching"

"Delivering Spring" Winner:
MELANIE at "Moonraker Lampworks"

"Garden" Winner:
ELIA at "El Jardin de mi Duende"

"Bunny Gingham" Winner:
MARGARET at "Days of a Sampler Lover"

Winners, please send me your mailing addresses and I'll get your prizes out to you next week. (First I have to buy more of the Raspberry Creams to send to Christina and Barbi, as I very piggishly ate BOTH boxes myself). As always, I wish I could have given each of you something... You have all been so supportive and kind over my past three years of blogging. Please know I am going to try to do more Random Acts of Kindness for my regular commenters in the future just to say "thank you!"

Several of you have asked about my April "bowl" of smalls... In fact, even my middle son, when he was over for dinner on Sunday, looked at the bowl of March finishes I still have on display and said, "Um, Mom...it's April." Yes, I'm a bit behind! So, I wanted to share with you two of my finishes for April rather than waiting to reveal them all at once next week.

Do you remember when I showed you this little sneak peak a few weeks ago and asked if anyone knew what I was stitching? Well, no one guessed it correctly. Several of you thought it was Bent Creek's "Are You My Mother;" good guess, but...nope!

May I introduce you to "Slicker Bunny" who is now out and about enjoying the April showers. This was a very old freebie from The Cricket Collection, which, unfortunately, I don't see available on their website any longer. Isn't he the cutest little thing with his tiny purple flower "umbrella" and yellow slicker?

I used a 28 ct. overdyed jobelan called "Babbling Brook" (stitched over one) along with the suggested DMC threads. The little pillow is backed with the lovely plaid fabric you see in the photo. This was actually a cloth napkin I spotted at Kohl's--ah, yes, a new source for my backing fabrics. First my son's discarded shirts and now cloth napkins!! To finish him off, I added two teeny beads for his raincoat buttons and ruched some yellow and white gingham ribbon for the edging. I think he is cute enough to chase away anybody's rainy day blues, don't you?

My second finish for my bowl of April smalls is one you've likely seen on other blogs. The first time I spotted this adorable Patrick's Woods design, I knew I had to stitch it. I mean, really-- what could be better than a piece combining two of my favorite things: rabbits and stitching? This was a very quick and easily-stitched freebie which can be found at "The Dandy Hare Blog".

Stitching it was easy (I used 40 ct. flax Newcastle linen and good old DMC), the hard part came in deciding how to finish it. I thought and thought and below is what I came up with. Combining three different fabrics, some ivory-colored lace, some brown satin ribbon, a yo-yo, and three square shell buttons turned on the diagonal, plus my stitching, I ended up with a sweet, little pillow looking like this...

So, have you figured out the theme for my April bowl full of smalls, yet? Of course--it's rabbits! More will (hopefully) be hopping onto my blog by the end of the month, so stay tuned!

This has been the prettiest of springs here in western Pennsylvania and the flowering trees and shrubs have been spectacular.

The view from our front porch...

The beautiful white crab apple tree at the corner of our porch.

Can you spot the pretty orange butterfly?

A crabapple tree by our back patio: the "White Angel," which
was hybridized by my husband's dear grandfather in 1947.
We planted this as a tiny tree more than 15 years ago
and it has grown to more than 20 feet tall...
a wonderful reminder of a very special man.

Tulips, pansies, rhododendron, and dogwood...
Oh, if they could only last all summer!

Finally, I'd like to say a warm welcome to all my new followers, but a special welcome to one in particular... Mr. Red Robin! He's been visiting my window near my stitching chair almost daily and seems to have taken a keen interest in my stitching! Here he is peering in to check out the new-to-me Prairie Schooler chart (Garden Alphabet) that I finally, finally won on ebay. I think he approves of my purchase, don't you?

I am working at the library all weekend, unfortunately, but I wish each of you a special Saturday and Sunday filled with relaxation and time to craft and create! Thank you again for taking the time to visit me here at my little blog; I truly appreciate each and every comment and email. Bye for now...

Finishes, Flowers, and Firemen

Good morning everyone; it's good to be "back!" Thank you to everyone who emailed me wondering if I was all right...I'm fine; it has just been one crazy-busy three week period since my last post. I've spent a good deal of time up in New York visiting and helping out my parents after my dad's surgery. He came through it nicely, I'm happy to report. Thank you to all who asked about him...

The second thing that has taken up much of my time is trying to get my youngest son's room packed up. You see, he was offered a job in Washington, D.C. which began on August 1st. We're so proud of him--guess all that hard work in college really paid off! Anyway, he is down there and his furniture, books, etc. are up here in Pennsylvania. So guess who gets to sort it all out and prepare it for the movers?? Yep--good old mom! Oh, my--what a lot of "stuff" has accumulated during the 23 years he lived in that small bedroom. I'm about half-way done now and am to the point where I need to get him on the phone and ask him, "Do you want this, do you want that?" It's a good feeling, though, and I'm gaining another closet to put my stuff in! What do you think...should I turn his old bedroom into my craft room?


Finally, I've been working extra hours at the library--taking training classes in all the new electronic reference databases that keep popping up every other week. Honestly, I'm too old for this--my rapidly-aging brain just can't process all these changes very quickly any more. We just learn how to do something one way, and the next week the process has changed. With the explosion of e-readers we are constantly being asked to help patrons through the download process. How many of you have an e-reader? I love, love, love my Kindle! The new gadgets are great, but sometimes I long for the ease of simpler days when there were no cell phones, e-readers, I-pods, etc. I guess I'm just a bit nostalgic for those days when people seemed to spend more time with each other rather than with something electronic...


Through all this craziness, I have managed to squeak in a bit of stitching time and have a couple of new things to show you. First up is the LHN "Silent Night" ornament which I stitched on 32 ct. twilight blue Permin linen. I used all of the suggested colors except I substituted DMC 712 and used it for the snow, stars, and lettering. I also stitched an extra large star in the upper right corner. Was I being creative? No--I counted my star placements incorrectly and was left with a large spot of blue sky so I simply filled it in with a big star...


I finished it with a simple beaded edge using ivory colored Mill Hill beads. Boy, are those beaded edges time consuming--at least for me! But, I love the finished look and think it will be a great addition to my tree this December. This was my ornament for July--I finished the stitching last month, but just now got around to the finishing. Still have to finish my August ornament, but I'm almost there.


If this bunny finish looks familiar, it's because I stitched him once before earlier this year. You can see him right here. The difference is...this one is half the size! Yes, it's stitched "over one" on 28 ct. clay lugana and is from Prairie Schooler's Book No. 13 "A Prairie Year." I used the suggested DMC threads and decided to finish it into a tiny pillow.








This brown-dotted pale pink fabric seemed to be a perfect complement to the colors in the design and I topped it off with a little flower made of a pair of pink and white buttons (my middle son claims it resembles a pig nose--honestly, these guys of mine!!) and some leaves made of sage green ribbon. To make the tiny leaves, I used 1/2 inch ribbon and followed this video tutorial. For my first attempt, I'm really pleased with how they turned out. Unfortunately, I'm saying farewell to this bunny...he is heading to a new home as a "Random Act of Kindness" for one of my regular commenters. Where will he end up...stay tuned!


I think I forgot to tell you where my last RAK for my regular commenters ended up? This tulip pillow was sent to Catherine at Bramblewood Stitches back in May. It ended up just across the state in eastern Pennsylvania, but my latest bunny pillow is taking a longer trip (hint! hint!). I really enjoy surprising you wonderful friends who take the time to say "hello" each time I post, so look for more RAK creations in the future.





Isn't this the most delightful bouquet? My dear husband surprised me with it after I arrived home from visiting my parents. We had been apart almost two weeks--the longest in our 34 years of marriage. I guess he missed me! I told him this was the prettiest bouquet ever--so "me" with the all-white arrangement of hydrangeas, snapdragons, statice, and some other white flower that looks like a cross between a rose and a carnation. Anyone have any idea what the name of those blooms are? I truly love it's old-fashioned charm--it brings to mind a time when life was simpler and less complicated, doesn't it?


Now, I'm sure you're all wondering about the "Firemen" in my post title... Well, let's just say I had a "memorable" experience the last time I visited my parents. I was making breakfast one morning and the thin-sliced bread that I was toasting accidentally burned. Immediately, I ran it under water and put it into the garbage disposal hoping to get that unpleasant odor out of the kitchen. Apparently, I wasn't quick enough. Within minutes, not one, not two, but three smoke alarms in their apartment were blaring away. You all know how piercingly-loud one alarm sounds, right? Well, imagine three screeching away at the same time. I jumped up on a chair to try to find a reset button like we have on our alarms at home--no luck. They just kept wailing on and on.


We let in the harried building managers who were pounding at the door for a crack at silencing the alarms--no luck! They said they would have to call the local fire department to turn them off because their maintenance man was off that day. Oh, no!! My face was as red as the soon to arrive firetrucks--I was so embarrassed! Within 15 minutes, two firetrucks and a half-dozen firemen showed up. Yes, all for two burned pieces of toast... The two firemen who actually came up to the apartment tried to silence the alarms, but you guessed it--no luck! They said because they were hard-wired into the ceiling, they weren't "allowed" to fiddle with them. WHAT?? By this time, the three alarms had been deafening us for close to an hour. There was no solution but to call the maintenance man at home and have him come disconnect the horrid things. Finally, after almost 1 1/2 hours of listening to the shrill sound, the maintenance man arrived, pulled the wires from the ceiling, and silence reigned. You know that old saying, "Silence is golden?" Well, I appreciate it more than ever after that crazy morning! Moral of this story--always, always check the setting on your toaster before you put the bread in...

So, that's the end of another way-too-long post! Thanks so much to all of you who have read this far... I didn't even have time to write about Seville, the last stop on our Europe trip, so I'll save that for next time. Your wonderful comments on my last post made me smile--thank you all for taking the time to visit my little corner of the world. Please come again and I hope you have a week filled with whatever makes you happiest. Bye for now...

"R" Is For Rabbit (and RAKs)

Hello my friends! Hope all of my fellow U.S. stitchers are hanging in there with this heat...What did we ever do before air conditioning? We rarely use ours here in Pennsylvania, but over the past ten days it has been running almost continuously. At least the heat gives me a good excuse to stay inside and stitch. Do you remember this little start I showed you back in May and asked if anyone knew what it was? A few of you guessed it was a Prairie Schooler (always a safe bet when it comes to me!) and you were right.


And here is my finish of "R" Is For Rabbit from the P*Q*R Prairie Schooler Book No. 111, stitched on 32 ct. flax Belfast linen. Now that is one big, brown, bunny, isn't it? And that was a ton of solid stitching; brown is one color I dread stitching with, but I'm so pleased with how he turned out. He is a darker brown than what was charted because I accidentally reversed the symbols of the two shades of golden brown. By the time I discovered my mistake, I had already stitched his entire head and was too lazy to "behead" him and begin again. I actually like him this darker shade and think my mistake ended up being a blessing in disguise.


July is just one celebration after another around our house. My youngest son turned 23 (say it's not true!!) on the 9th and my husband caught up with me and turned 56 on the 14th. Yes, I am a "cougar"--I married a younger man (even if he is only six months younger!) and he never lets me forget it! And finally, on the 23rd, we celebrated 34 years of marriage. We were such babies when we tied the knot--fresh out of college with no money in the bank, but with many hopes and dreams... I am so blessed to say most, if not all, of those dreams have come true thanks to a lot of hard work, compromise, love, and respect.




To celebrate our two July birthdays I wanted to bake something special, but didn't want a lot of leftover cake tempting me for the next week. Luckily, I stumbled across a wonderful cookbook called Small Batch Baking by Debby Maugans Nakos which has recipes to serve just two or three people with little mini-cakes. I tried her carrot-cake recipe with cream cheese frosting and just look at how charming it turned out--it is a mere 3 inches round by 3 inches high! You bake these in well-washed empty cans (I used large soup cans--careful with those sharp edges) and it made two baby cakes--one for my husband and one for my youngest son (of course, I had a few bites (okay, more than a few bites) of each). I was really leery about how a cake baked in a can would turn out, but not only was it cute as a bug, it also tasted delicious.

Now, on to the next-to-the-last stop of our family's European vacation--the lovely town of Ronda in Spain's Malaga province. This town of about 35,000 inhabitants is divided by the Guadalevin River to form the stunning El Tajo gorge. Notice the gray skies--this was the only bad weather in our entire trip. We were so lucky, weren't we? We paid Ronda just a quick visit on our drive from Granada to Seville. You can click and enlarge any of the photos to see just how incredible the area was...

Puento Nuevo ("New Bridge") spanning El Tajo
gorge was built in the 1700s.

Can you imagine the view they have from their windows?

Some of the gorgeous farmland in the Ronda countryside.

What an incredible sight--but you could not pay me
to walk down that white stairway to the cliffside patio!

A matador statue in Ronda, home of Plaza de Toros
one of Spain's oldest bullfighting rings still in operation.

The 18th century Palacio del Marques de Salvatierra
is noted for it's unusual carved entranceway.

A gorgeous mosaic "map" of the town of Ronda.

Images of Ronda, Spain: May 2011

Well, that wraps up our visit to Ronda--the next, and final, stop will be the lovely Spanish city of Seville.


Now on to the other "R" in my post title: Random Acts of Kindness. I was so surprised and touched to receive these RAKs from fellow stitchers. Kathy from "Kathy's Sit and Stitch" blog surprised me with a darling sewing pouch--just look at that fabric adorned with everything a stitcher could need. Isn't it cute? And, I opened the pouch to find a beautiful hand-made scissor fob and the cheeriest pair of polka-dot scissors. Kathy, I am so happy to have "met" you and my other Canadian stitching friends. Someday, I really might make it up to one of your get-togethers so I can thank you in person...



I also received an email from Carol R. who designs at "iStitch" informing me that I had been sent this delightful strawberry chart as a RAK from Michele at "Just Another Stitching Blog." Isn't it sweet--I mean who doesn't love strawberries? I was so touched that Michele, who lives way across the U.S., would send me, a complete stranger, such a special gift. Well, we are strangers no longer--I'm happy to call her a "friend." Thank you, Michele--your gift truly touched my heart.


And last, but certainly not least, just look at this sweet snowman ornament I received in yesterday's mail from Patty at "Hanging On By a Thread" ! I had let Patty borrow one of my charts and she kindly sent this beautifully stitched and finished ornament as a "thank you." I just love it, Patty, and I'm so glad I was able to help you out by lending you my chart. Your ornament will have a place of honor on my Christmas tree this year--thank you so, so much!

I've said it many, many times, but I still feel compelled to say it again--stitchers really are the nicest people! Thank you all for visiting, for your wonderful comments, and for being such great friends--you're the best! Hope your week is a special one. Bye for now...