Happy Halloween!!!

Happy Halloween!

A wee felt pumpkin brooch that I put together this month.

The eyes and nose were so small I resorted to needle-felting to attach them. 

Another brooch I put together for Em's "Professor McGonagall" costume.

I used cardboard, hot glue and foil with gems attached.

I used the technique that I used for last year's Christmas ornament project in Em's class.

Yikes!

We aren't getting accumulation here in Ohio but we just had a short spell of Thunder Snow.

Loving Fall

Punkies all in a row. 

Walking in the autumn leaves and enjoying the sun a couple of days ago. 

We have had light frosts already but it hasn't taken down our salvia yet.

I'm so glad because I love the bluey-purple spikes.

Blue-Striped Happiness

My daughter assures me that knitting socks is addictive.

Would my third pair in four months count? :-)

You're a Doll

OK, everyone march, march, march....

March over to Three Poodles and a Nana.

She has made an absolutely beautiful pillow using my drawing of Polly's Pumpkin.

That is all for today--so go have fun exploring Mickie's wonderful blog. :-)

Hugs to you Mickie! You're a doll!

Polly's Pumpkin

I drew this with great plans to stitch it up and make a mug rug but I haven't gotten to it.

I spent time today re-working some curtains in the bathroom.

I cut the full length panels into a cafe length and a strip gathered up at the top of the window.

This way we get our privacy but still get some natural light.

If one of you manages to stitch Polly and her Pumpkin up--I'd love to see it! :-)

Maypole Quilt

I apologize for the rather sad photo that I took of this quilt.

It was museum lit which means you basically can't see the quilt very well at all.

There was a postage stamp quilt near this one all in feedsack fabrics,

with lighting so awful that I didn't even try to capture a photo of it.

In this quilt I love the children dancing around the maypole

and the inward scallops around the edges.

Wee Crop

Tiny knitted pumpkins.

I started with a free pattern from Natural Suburbia.

I tweaked it to knit it flat and made one pumpkin larger by increasing the number of rows knit.

I made a taller one by eliminating an increase and decrease.

The little leaf is just a couple of stitches,

a couple of rows and knitting two together

before slipping the working thread though the last stitch.

Halloween Goodies

Make this pumpkin bag for a Halloween treat!

Just click HERE

and a PDF will be at hand with the pattern pieces.

Pea Pods

Yummy addition to our Chinese Chicken last night.

These snow peas have loved our weather recently.

Hey, just so you know--I will be out of town for awhile

so things will be quiet around the cottage.

The House That Mouse Built

I just found this wonderful book,

"The House That Mouse Built" by Maggie Rudy & Pam Abrams.

It is just so lovely and clever! 

This is a picture of the inside of the book cover.

Look at the hanging lamp over the table.

It is a pod with holes in it and electrified.

So many details to look at and admire. Love, love it!

Here is Maggie Rudy's website called Mouses Houses.

This is a little acorn lamp I made that is just dollhouse size.

I took one acorn cap and a slightly smaller-sized acorn turned upside down.

I glued them together to make the lamp.

Late September

A few things are still growing in the garden.

We enjoyed a small crop of snow peas and some green beans.

I love going out to the garden and seeing the cows next door

and the sunflowers dipping their heavy heads.

We've had some sun here in the afternoons.

Perfect for changing sheets, opening windows,

and reading a magazine on the porch.

The new "Mollie Makes" has a crop of peas & carrots to crochet. :-)

Goofed!

Yikes!

I put up the wrong linked PDF.

I'm sorry.....I've fixed it and so now you can download the whole booklet.

Click HERE or on the sidebar link.

Owl Postman

So HERE is the pattern for the Owl Postman.

I made it of wool felt, handstitched. 

If I haven't made the pattern clear enough, please let me know.

Again, in printing choose the "fit to printable area" option.

Notion--Autumn 2011

Here is my little idea.

I thought that I would put together a bunch of fun things to do this fall and make a booklet out of it.

You can download the PDF on the side bar or HERE.

When you print it out, choose the setting, "fit to printable area".

There will still be a small border of white which you'll need to trim off.

Then fold in half and cut down the center line to open up the top of the paper.

Fold the paper as seen in the photos.

I hope you enjoy!

By the way--the pattern for the owl will be uploaded soon.

Approaching Autumn

The start of fall decorating.

We had corn from the garden this year and here are the remnants decorating a front tree.

I have been busy thinking up ideas to keep me busy and inspired this fall.

Look for a small booklet of ideas to print out before the week ends.

I am really loving sedum this year.

The blue you see behind is an annual salvia (victoria blue)

that was just spectacular this summer.

Time Has Told

Look who's feeling better!

He is king of his castle once more. :-)

He is off medication, show's little interest in his tail and thankfully,

sleeps through the night.

The lovely afghan is Meg's.

Doll Auction

Meg and I went to a doll auction last week--only looking!

Here are a couple of pictures. 

Pinnochios, 

doll shoes,

and more accessories.

A few more pictures can be found here and here.

Hiding Behind a Little Face

A small pair of scissors in a felt case I made.

I know I keep going back to the matryoshka for a design,

but in this case it really did fit the size and shape that I needed.

(and I still love the little dolls) :-) 

A little slit in the back accomodates my embroidery scissors. :-)

Late Strawberries

Mrs. Mouse is marveling over her late harvest.

The strawberry instructions were in the magazine Mollie Makes, issue two.

Eat Your Veggies!

A very proud moment for me when Em asked to take my homemade vegetable soup in her school lunch. I made up the soup recipe all on my own and da da da daaahhh----it turned out. :-) I've not tried this before so I was super pleased. It doesn't use any meat product at all. I opened up the cooled container of soup this morning and was pleasantly surprised to find no greasy sheen on the soup. Yeah!! I used a vegetable base--like boullion cubes made by Superior Touch. Above is a picture of my lunch. Last night I had it for dinner and added frozen peas--nice green touch. I meant to add some green beans from our garden, today but forgot. There is plenty left so I'll do that next time.

Brown Hair and a Blue Sweater

Just a little sketch using my new pen tablet. :-)

Oy.........

Sorry I have been missing here. I am terribly frustrated at the moment.

We are having doggie problems.

Gizmo chewed on his own tail while at the kennel 4 weeks ago until it required surgery.

He has been a mess ever since. Not sleeping thru any of those nights since, despite medicines.

He whines continually, chases his non-existent tail and pouts about his Elizabethan collar.

(I don't blame him there. those collars are cumbersome)

We are still hoping it will get better.

It is a wee bit better recently--only up once each night and able to spend some time without the collar, so maybe there is hope.

We were surprised this morning to find that our hollyhock,

planted this year had shot up and bloomed.

When did that happen? Must have been in the recently groggy days.

Doesn't this poor guy look sad?

40"s Doll Quilt

A pretty doll quilt that I found on an Etsy shop HERE. 

I love the hand piecing--all hand stitched and slightly wonky. 

The edging has a lovely rosey pattern.

Chop, Chop

It will eventually be cold enough to use all this lovely, newly chopped wood.

Won't it?

Too Early for Sock Knitting

Close-up! 

The moon got me up in the early morning today and I had the crazy idea to start decreasing for the toe on my second sock to finish it up. I must blame the moon for starting the decrease too soon.

At 4am I decided I must rip the toe back to just before the decrease.

The sock was simply turning out way short.

I could either leave it open to allow for my toes to pop out or rip it back.

By 5am I did not want to wish anyone a good morning. Uggh!

The picking up of loose stitches was a mess. All turned the wrong way and dropping through.

At one point I had four needles and two crochet hooks all picking up stitches at the same time.

Happy am I that it all came out OK. 

Braving a third pair. :-)

A Second Pair

Still practicing. 

I am feeling more assured in knitting this pair. Not so many thumbs or needle-fumbling.

The yarn is Red Heart, Heart & Sole in Toasted Almond.