FROSTY PUMPKIN IN A MOONLIT GARDEN

"Autumn"

Pumpkins in the cornfields
Gold among the brown

Leaves of rust and scarlet
Trembling slowly down

Birds that travel southward
Lovely time to play

Nothing is as pleasant
As an autumn day!

by Blair Buell

Happy Columbus Day!! Today I thought I would share some photos of my "Moonlit Garden" by Blackbird Designs. I love the big pumpkin and the bright full moon. I am thinking about putting a bead on the door for a doorknob, just need to find the "right" one. A little squirrel (named Charlie) to add some mischief to the piece and maybe some little acorns. I don't know why, but I always seem to have a need to embellish my cross stitch projects. They don't feel right unless I do. I love the saying on this fall sampler, it is so true. I believe everything has a purpose whether it be for an hour, a day, a month, a year or a lifetime. You just never know.

On a lighter note, I hope you had a wonderful, relaxing kind of weekend. My hubby and I went for a drive on our "Put Put", which is what I call our vintage 1972 Honda 90. I inherited it from my parents when they passed away. It is pumpkin orange and I love it!!! I told my husband we should name it "Harley". I remember when I was about 12 years old my Dad taught me how to drive this motorcycle when we were camping. I have a photo of me on it with an orange, yellow and blue "Chevron" striped coat.

It was an eery day, gray and overcast so it was the perfect setting for a spooky adventure. We went in this old house that had been abandoned so to speak. The windows were broken and the door was open. I was curious so I ventured inside for a peek, I just couldn't help myself. I normally would never do this, but since it had already been vandalized I felt a little more as ease so I crept in slowly, I didn't want to get in trouble for trespassing. Just inside the door there was a headstone on the floor. I thought that was really weird and freaky!!! I wonder where it came from??? Inside, there was a room just off the back porch that had an old freezer with it's door opened upward, it reminded me of a coffin and I knew I wasn't about to look in it. The house felt cold inside and I was a little nervous that I had actually went in it. I was drawn to the window on the upper level so I had my husband pose and look out the window so I could capture a "ghost in the window" shot. Kind of cool! Then I went in and took a photo looking out of that same window. The winding staircase leading up to that room was really narrow with tall steps.

On our ride, we stopped and played with a couple of miniature horses named Buttercup and Barney. They were so adorable!! There was also a goat, just not sure if it was a nanny goat or a billy goat. The rain sprinkled a little on us, but it wasn't too bad. Later on that evening we went to my brother-in-laws to deliver his birthday present. It was fun visiting family and playing with their two adorable cats. I love cats!!

I guess I will get my recipe out for some Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies this evening and make us a little treat after dinner. I keep thinking a cream cheese pumpkin roll would be really good, but it is time consuming to make so I will have to wait for the weekend. Which reminds me, it is Witches Night Out at Gardner Village this weekend so I will be meeting my cousin for a witches night out. I will take lots of photos and post some for you to see. It has become a tradition of mine to be a witch at least once a year!!

I am getting my crickety skeleton put together and I will show you some fun ideas for displaying him later this week. Until then I hear those cookies calling my name and if I'm lucky maybe I can stitch a little while they are baking. Have a lovely evening and don't forget to rsvp for the giveaway......it will be here soon!!!

FOR THE BIRDS

For the Birds

by The Drawn Thread

What is it about birds?

Is it their sweet songs, their feathers, or is it their first presence in spring?

Whatever it is, I love them all; blackbirds, peacocks, hummingbirds, crows, owls, turkeys, blue jays, robins, cardinals, ravens, eagles, osterichs, flamingos, seagulls, chickadees. The list goes on and on.......

This picture was taken in April 2009 at Hole in the Rock, just outside of Moab, UT.

Don't you just love the little worm inching along between the Mama crow and her babies?
And of course, the prowling cat with watchful eyes..............

What a pair of lovely ducks, no cares in the world, just relaxing in a pool of cool water......

And who could forget the lovely moonlit owl........ or the proud, prancing peacock......

How pleasant the life of a bird must be,
Flitting about in each leafy tree;
In the leafy trees so broad and tall,
Like a green and beautiful palace hall,
With its airy chambers light and boon,
That open to sun and stars and moon;
That open to the bright blue sky,
And the frolicsome winds as they wander by.
They have left their nests on the forest bough;
Those homes of delight they need not now;
And the young and the old they wander out,
And traverse their green world round about;
And hark! at the top of this leafy hall,
How one to the other in love they call!
"Come up! Come up!" they seem to say,
"Where the topmost twigs in the breezes sway."
"Come up! come up! for the world is fair
Where the merry leaves dance in the summer air.
"And the birds below give back the cry,
"We come, we come to the branches high."
How pleasant the lives of the birds must be,
Living in love in a leafy tree!
And away through the air what joy to go,
And to look on the green, bright earth below!
How pleasant the life of a bird must be,
Skimming about on the breezy sea,
Cresting the billows like silvery foam,
Then wheeling away to its cliff-built home!
What joy it must be to sail, upborne,
By a strong free wing, through the rosy morn,
To meet the young sun, face to face,
And pierce, like a shaft, the boundless space!
To pass through the bowers of the silver cloud;
To sing in the thunder hall aloud;
To spread out the wings for a wild, free flight
With the upper cloud-wings, oh, what delight!
Oh, what would I give, like a bird, to go,
Right on through the arch of the sun lit bow,
And see how the waterdrops are kissed
Into green and yellow and amethyst.
How pleasant the life of a bird must be,
Wherever it listeth, there to flee;
To go, when a joyful fancy calls,
Dashing down 'mong the waterfalls;
Then wheeling about, with its mate at play,
Above and below, and among the spray,
Hither and thither, with screams as wild
As the laughing mirth of a rosy child.
What joy it must be, like a living breeze,
To flutter about 'mid the flowering trees;
Lightly to soar, and to see beneath,
The wastes of the blossoming purple heath,
And the yellow furze, like fields of gold,
That gladdened some fairy region old!
On the mountain tops, on the billowy sea,
On the leafy stems of a forest tree,
How pleasant the life of a bird must be!

Golden Bird Cage

Can you believe it, today is the first day of summer and all it seems to do around here is rain, rain, rain! But today we also had hail. Where did the sunshine go? If you find it, please send some to my little corner of the world.

In the meantime, here is a sweet little sampler stitched with good old DMC thread and aged to perfection with a dose of coffee. I purchased a ready made frame to display my golden caged bird. I think it provides a vision of an era gone by...kind of a rustic antique look.

This is an older pattern I found in my stash of "to do's" from Prairie Schooler. I love the finished look...warm and golden.










.

TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHISTMAS

Is it too early for Christmas??? I LOVE this pattern from Prairie Schooler. I bought it off ebay for $57.00!!! I had been looking for this pattern for soooooo long (over a year), I decided it was priceless and I was going to make it no matter what the cost. A Birthday present to myself...after all I am worth it. I changed all the colors to Sampler Threads and added a few beads here and there on the holly. Definitely a fun project to stitch. I would love to hear your comments on this one.

Pure Sweetness

I completed stitching "Faith" (my WIP) this morning before I left for work. I stayed up until about 1:00 a.m. working on it while at the same time trying to get some laundry done. I only had 16 stitches left and the ladybug to attach but I was soooo tired, I don't think toothpicks could have held my eyes open long enough to finish it! I want to frame it before I share it with you. In the meantime, here is a photo of some embroidery work I stitched and made into a sweet, yet funky pillow. The pattern is by Needle in a Haystack.



I'm getting excited to start a new project (even though I have several "irons" in the fire). I am contemplating what to start.....I have so many patterns to choose from! My family and I will be heading out of town for a "fun in the sun" weekend with relatives over the Memorial holiday. Four wheelers, family, food, and a dirt road showcasing beautiful scenery make for a special outing. I can't wait til Friday!

Beaded Love.....

I stitched this over Mother's Day weekend in 2003. This may sound funny but I took a road trip (by myself) to go antique shopping and sight seeing through Zions Canyon in southern Utah. I rented a new car, a Toyota Camry, and bought me a new cd of Kenny Chesney (the car had a cd player and my own car didn't). I had so much fun traveling by myself. The scenery was incredible and I could go at my own pace. I used alphabet letters to create the word "LOVE" and I stitched them in solid antique beads. I attached a brass heart between the "L" and "O" since there was a bit of a gap. I think this is one of my favorite pieces.