Hermitting Starts Here!

It's the start of the October International Hermit & Stitch Weekend where we all try to get as much stitching time in as we possibly can.  Just like every other weekend of the year but this is Official!

I have no idea what I'll be stitching as I am using the Tiny Decisions app to choose my project each day.  But here's what it told me to do for the last few days:

Jardin Prive - Happy Hallowe'en Night

Day 14

JBW - Smiling Jack O' Lantern:

Day 17

Just Nan - Autumn Mouse House:

Day 11

Nora Corbett - Raven:

Days 8, 9, 10, 16 and 19

And a finish!  Plum Street Samplers - Brew Ha Ha:

Days 7, 12, 13, 15 and 18 

I stitched this over one on 32 count Platinum linen using some of the called for colours.  I changed the large coffee bean man into DMC 4130 and the coffee cups into the colours used for the leaves.  Because I stitched it over one, it meant I could stitch the border over two and just do a single X instead of 4 smaller xx.  It was charted to have the dark grey inbetween the orange in the border but I thought that would be too heavy and preferred it like this.

Depending on what comes up this weekend, we could see two more finishes!  Or a lot more purple on Raven.

I've also been busy with my rock painting, my second obsession.  This is not taking time away from my stitching but does take time from the computer.  So if I haven't visited your blog lately, I apologise; I was getting rocked!

Here's a batch I have done for a Harry Potter event at the shop where I work:

Just to prove that I am not the only artistic one working there, here are the wands my colleague made:

Look at them!!  Garden canes with hot glue and painted.  There's a YouTube tutorial apparently.  These are seriously incredible.  This is the disclaimer I added to our Facebook page:

"Please note - we are not responsible for the result of using the wands. Your own magical ability will determine whether it works or not. Please do not turn us into toads or complain if you are a Muggle and nothing happens!"

Don't want to get sued for defective wands.

Finally, it's nearly time for the spookiest Hop on the Blog - the annual Hallowe'en Trick or Treat Blog Hop.  For this one, you send me an email or leave a comment saying you would like to take part.  A few days before the end of October I will send you an email with a letter of the alphabet.  On the 31st you must make a blog post featuring something spooky you have stitched (or crafted) and your letter.

I will list all the participants on my blog and we all hop around collecting the letters to form the spooky phrase - report back to my blog and leave a comment to win a prize!

Gifted Gorgeousness October Link-Up Post

Welcome to the October Gifted Gorgeousness link-up.  The link-up date will continue to be the 15th and I will keep the link-up open until the end of each month so you have plenty of time if you are late posting.

The format remains exactly the same, there is a list of rules on the main sign-up page if you want to check what is required but basically anything connected to the word "gift" is allowed, whether it was a gift TO you or is a gift FROM you.

In the past month I have stitched quite a few gifted pieces and had one epic long-awaited finish!

Raven by Nora Corbett - the chart was a gift from Tiffany:

stitched on 32 count Nebula by Crafty Kitten

Autumn Mouse House by Just Nan - the chart was a Birthday Present:

stitched on 32 count Antique Ivory linen

Brew Ha Ha by Plum Street Sampler - the linen was a gift:

stitched over 1 on 32 count Platinum linen

Smiling Jack O'Lantern by JBW - chart was a gift:

stitched on 32 count Platinum linen

This is the one you've all been asking about and waiting for; the Donna Kooler Tinies!  I've been hiding these in plain sight of the recipient who never guessed they were for her.  Rewind time to a few months ago and the lovely Leonore announced that she was getting married in October and if anyone felt inclined to stitch a decoration she would be very grateful.  What a lovely idea I thought.  But only one decoration?  Oh no, we can do better than that.

Those of you who know me well, know how obsessed with a series I am.  If the design says "1 of a series of 4/6/12/196" then I am in and stitching it.  Witness my collection of 12 Days of Christmas designs!  One tradition I love is the German tradition of The Bride's Tree.  When a German couple get married, their first Christmas Tree should have a series of 12 ornaments each representing a different wish for the happy couple.  This was the obvious thing to stitch the Germanic Leonore and her handsome husband.

Brooke's Books do a stunning series but there was no way I could get them all stitched in the time frame.  So I hit on the idea of using the Donna Kooler 365 Tinies to make the series.  I found 11 of the designs in there and the 12th online.  So for the first time, here are all 12 of the Bride's Tree Ornaments:

Pine Cone - Eternity

Flower Basket - Good Wishes

Rabbit - Hope and Peace

Church - God's Guidance

Fruit Basket - Generosity

House - Protection

Santa - Giving and Sharing

Rose - Affection

Teapot - Hospitality

Fish - Christ's Blessing and Fertility

Heart - True Love

Bird in Nest - Joy and Happiness

I bought the little balsa wood frames from Wilkinsons in a set of 12 (perfect) and simply glued each piece of the 22 count hardanger to the back of the frame, then stuck a piece of white card to the back of the fabric and finally glued a piece of green felt to the frame to finish the backs nicely.

I remembered to sandwich the ribbon between the felt and the paper to make a hanging loop for each one!

Now it is your turn to show us your Gifted Gorgeousness for the month. Please use your name or your blog name in the field and NOT the words "October Update" so I can easily see who has linked up this month. And link to the actual post, not just your blog. It is easier if you copy and paste the link, rather than typing freehand.

*

*

Finally, it's nearly time for the spookiest Hop on the Blog - the annual Hallowe'en Trick or Treat Blog Hop.  For this one, you send me an email or leave a comment saying you would like to take part.  A few days before the end of October I will send you an email with a letter of the alphabet.  On the 31st you must make a blog post featuring something spooky you have stitched (or crafted) and your letter.

I will list all the participants on my blog and we all hop around collecting the letters to form the spooky phrase - report back to my blog and leave a comment to win a prize!

Spooky October TUSAL

It's TUSAL time, the Totally Useless SAL where we all show our ORTS and link-up on Daffycat's blog.

Here is my TUSAL jar with two projects:

I am continuing to use the Tiny Decisions app to choose my projects this week. This was Sunday's choice - Brew Ha Ha by Plum Street Samplers.  A nice quiet day in saw almost all the alphabet get completed.

stitched over one on 32 count Platinum Linen

Monday and Tuesday saw Raven from Nora Corbett come out twice in a row.  I got lots of black stitching done along the bottom of her dress:

stitched on 32 count Nebula by Crafty Kitten

Finally, it's nearly time for the spookiest Hop on the Blog - the annual Hallowe'en Trick or Treat Blog Hop.  For this one, you send me an email or leave a comment saying you would like to take part.  A few days before the end of October I will send you an email with a letter of the alphabet.  On the 31st you must make a blog post featuring something spooky you have stitched (or crafted) and your letter.

I will list all the participants on my blog and we all hop around collecting the letters to form the spooky phrase - report back to my blog and leave a comment to win a prize!

Pumpkin Pie on All Souls' Day

Hope that you are all enjoying the Hallowe'en Blog Hop which is open until 7th November.  There are some gorgeous spooky designs on display and lots of enabling too!

I did something new for October this year; Dark October Stitching with a different Hallowe'en design every 3-4 days.  So the Pie looks rather different to usual:

Here's a little recap of each project:

Project 1 Just Nan's Haunted Autumn Mouse in a House was also my 30-a-Day project for the month.  I very nearly but not quite completed the carpet square on the 31st so I finished it off doing more than 30 stitches that day.

Mouse stitched on 32 count Cognac linen

Carpet Square stitched on 32 count Antique Ivory linen

Base of the House stitched on 32 count Antique Ivory linen

One Wall stitched on 32 count Antique Ivory linen

Project 2 was Jardin Prive's Happy Hallowe'en Night

stitched on 32 Cognac linen

Project 3 was JBW's Smiling Jack-O-Lantern

stitched on 32 count Platinum linen

Project 4 was Stacy Nash's Cast Your Spell

stitched over 1 on 32 count Platinum linen

Project 5 was Dam Good Craft's Dracula Book Cover

stitched on 32 count Amortentia by Chromatic Alchemy

Project 6 was Nora Corbett's Bewitching Pixie Raven

stitched on 32 count Nebula Belfast by Crafty Kitten

Project 7 was Shepherd's Bush Spooky Night which I finished in the four days.  I just need to add a little bat charm above the P.

stitched on 32 count Platinum linen

Project 8 was my conversion of Lavender & Lace's Enchanted Alphabet, I have reached Q.

stitched on 32 count Tiger Lily Murano by Sparklies

Project 9 to round off the month was a freebie from Plum Street Samplers called Brew Ha Ha.  I stitched this as part of a SAL to celebrate Tracy P's Birthday.  Tracy doesn't have a blog but she does have a FlossTube channel and set up a group on Facebook too.  This is as far as I got in 3 days.

stitched over 1 on 32 count Platinum linen

Finally I need to look at my spending last month!  I was doing well until DMC decided to release the new range of colours in a limited edition tin which Kate from Lakeside Needlecraft had on special offer.  She also had some offcuts of fabric very cheap so I added them to get free postage!  The spend for the month now looks like this:

October
Crazy sub	£25.99
New DMC tin	£24.50
Lakeside fabric	£5.15
Gold Petite 28 Needles	£5.30
Total	£60.94

See how pretty they are.

The Large Boy was disappointed that the Golden Skein was not included with them!