~Happy Hallowe'en~

This year's decorating is suspiciously reminiscent of a pile of not-quite-finished needlework artfully deposited amongst the resident coffee table knick-nacks. ;)



This WONDERFUL Homespun Elegance goodie that Myra sent me is really lending an air of decorated respectability to the gathering. :D I completely love it!



Yay! I even got one of her gorgeous birds! The box arrived last week (I think...) and was full of wonderful Halloween goodies including socks for me and a spider fob and candy for Marc! :D You know, I didn't do a Halloween exchange this year, even though it's my favorite holiday (well, I AM thinking yearningly of the Christmas tree already!), but between having the fun of planning that present for Myra and being surprised by an overflowing box I sure feel like I did! I loved it all and you sure spoiled me, Myra!



The other side of the table...including the wonderful Homespun-ish fabric Karen V. passed on through her sale blog. Oh yesh, those cats are thready and woven. :3 I don't think I'll use it with WWGR as I want a simpler design that won't "compete" but they sure look good side-by-side, eh? ;)



Here's the When Witches Go Riding pin pillow I've been concocting. I love the linen I picked as it looks purple in some lights and brown in others. <3 I still need to fill it with crushed walnut shells...and close it up, but for now I'll admire it with my decorative pumpkin and the plastic charger I bought from Walmart. In August. For 1.99. I KNOW-that-I-know that I Should Not buy mass-produced decorative goods of plastic from WM...the spirit is willing but the flesh is so weak. But doesn't it look good?

I promise the bowl next to it holding the pommander balls is SO an authentically beaten-up from a garage sale piece of coppery goodness. (Have I ever told you how much I love copper and verdigris?)



And here on the bed is the reason I actually plotted up this pillow--a doorknob coathook from pier 1 that needed something Halloween-y perched atop it before hanging. ;P



Isn't that orange glass so appealing?

Good thing I'm not a surgeon.




And just-because-I-love-it. This is a jacket illustration from a wonderful work about cute little witch girls by Moyocco Anno, whose Jack I talked about last time. :)

This was a joke label I made for some holiday tea--the original I bought was called "Halloween Nights" and so...my rendition was called "Hallowe'en Tights". (Marc just LOOOOVES puns, and it's rubbing off on me.) I added the font and the "seal" (of Chocola shushing) you from another illustration also by Anno Sensei, so only the graphic design arrangement is my work. Technically, this is used without permission, but it was for personal use and no profit to me. If you want to taste it, it's available here. :) Just be sure to buy some plain Chamomile while you're at it and understand that while I "planned" this tea, designed and uploaded the label, and wrote the descriptive copy I do not own, am not the one who will send it to you, own no rights, and will not profit from the sale if you do try it. :D

(Oh, it looks like it's out of stock until mid-November as Adagio is waiting on one of the components to arrive.)

I'm off to pull out a strand of purple and orange lights and plug 'em in. :D

Have a great evening, all. :D

Yours,
Berit

"Graffiti Jack"

A new start! But first~

Here's "Graffiti Jack"

He's a gray tabby with the trademark "M", and possibly my favorite character in Anno Moyocco's Ochibi-san, which I've been reading lately. I could go on for a while about how lovely this little Japanese newspaper strip is (Think along the lines of Winnie the Pooh or Calvin and Hobbs with a highlight on the deep regard of the Japanese of Nature and her Seasons), but that's not today's point. :)

Here follows a December entry featuring Jack:



For the sake of Translation:




Last night's new start! :D



"Stitching Necessaire" by Homespun Elegance. Recommended Belle Soie on 28ct. Antique Vintage Ivory. :3

"Dash-Away Jack" (Truly, this is a lovely little painting like so many from this book)





"Out-on-a-Jaunt Jack"? Am I the only one who sees a resemblance? :3

I'm off to eat a burger (yumm!) and stitch more on this fun project!

Yours Cat-obsessedly,
Berit




P.S. On a more seasonal note, He's a Jack-o'-Lantern here as he's carrying Chinese lantern flowers filled with lightening bugs to light the way home on a dusky eve. :)

*~'Tis Near Halloween~*

...And it is. :)

Et Finis!

"When Witches Go Riding"
Designer: Prairie Schooler (signature and date charted by me)
Linen: Pilgrim Brown 28ct. by R&R
Fibers: CC and WDW


This might be the biggest thing I've ever finished....Yes, it is. :)



Remember the Moon Question? I decided to fill, and in the same color (WDW Honeysuckle). I think the variegation is spot-on for a harvesty moon. Still ruminating over the idea of making a small with that snazzy checkerboard moon, however.



Though I love those stars, I re-charted the area for the date. I just couldn't see my way to breaking the perimeter of the design.



My little over-one signature. It was even fun to stitch. I know I'd like to frame this one, but it's just not in the cards right now. I didn't iron yet as I'm not sure what to do with it; I'm thinking of ways to temporarily tack it to something to make a hanging so I can enjoy it this season. :)




"Halloween Fright" Freebie
Designer: La Chatelaine (I think)
Linen: 32 ct. Sparrow from Linens by Design (formerly a BoaF product)
Fibers: DMC and Belle Soie Lasagne


I've been hoarding this freebie for a long time (and the Sparrow Linen, too), so when I heard that Myra was having a birthday in September (and I didn't participate in a Halloween Exchange, and we're both Halloween Nuts, and it has little black cats all over it (like her Ziggy) and we both love purple, and she's been going all-out with ornaments for her tree this year...) and, well, the cosmos aligned and I decided to stitch this for her. How I held my breath each time she blogged that it wouldn't be about this design! In the end, it was more of an "Early Halloween Goodie" than a Birthday present, though.

I took about 40 shots of it without being able to get a single decent one. In the end, I threw it up on my bookshelf in front of a comic series about little witches. I do like this photo best, but that might just be because I like my books so much (I DO love my books.) Seriously. Please check Myra's blog for amazing pictures. There's some really fun homespun on the back, I promise it's worth it.

I wedged a little pumpkin into the signature at the back--wonder if this will count for Becky's GPC!? :D :D :D

Meanwhile, Kathy A. was touched by Marc's Plight (otherwise known as the Second Cold War Against the Canadian Goose), and sent him some provisions from The Motherland to sustain him in the fight.



Coffee Crisp! :D And, a lovely Halloween thread from Carrie's Creation (my first). I love the part where the gradation shifts from orange to purple...now what to stitch.

Marc said that the CC were "really fresh" and that the bag seemed endless; the more he took out the more there were to take out. I told him that was good, because I ate so many before he returned home to take possession that I feared for the first bag's life and had to hide it in a drawer to still my pilfering paws.

He completely enjoyed them and they held out until just a few days ago--thanks again, Kathy!

...

Speaking of "Thanks", I owe MORE of them. I thought I had photos, but as I don't it'll keep for next time, but I won an amazing giveaway from Robin and Myra sent me an amazing Hallowe'en box stuffed full of goodies AND a stitched piece! By Homespun Elegance! (Bet that got your attention. ;)

Also, I really need to thank you for all your prayers, good thoughts, and friendships. Still having a bit of tough times here, and my stitching, blogging, and even blog-visiting mojo are flagging a bit as a result, but I've missed you guys and am looking forward to being able to participate more. :) I even had a small Hallowe'en Giveaway planned, but while I finished the stitching (Oh, maybe even in August) I haven't done the finishing yet. :/ It might have to be a "Halloween at Christmas" giveaway at this rate! lol! I know you true fans won't mind; to everyone else, my apologies. Best-laid plans and all that. :)

With hopes that everyone is enjoying wonderful Autumn Stitches and Crisp (not Frigid like here today!) weather, I remain

Yours,
Berit