Life With Jules, and other stuff

My mom sent me these pics of her birthday present and I thought I would share; especially for this post (thanks MOM!). My niece carved "I Love You" into a pumpkin.  

Not finished yet, but I am almost finished with the pumpkin portion: Today, my dad and I went to Leesburg, FL to visit his aunt and uncle. I took advantage of us being in the area and popped over to A Stitcher’s Dream in Mount Dora. This is what I purchased: As you can see, I picked up the Kreinik floss that I need to finish Boo . I also picked up some 22-ct Zweigert Green Aida and a remnant of 14-ct White Aida. The patterns are (clockwise from top left): Victorians Across America’s Hotel Del Coronado (I have actually seen it in person and it is gorgeous!); Victorians Across America’s Southernmost Hotel , Key West; La-D-Da’s Pumpkins Three ; and Kats by Kelly’s Devil Cat’s Food . I learned that Kelly won’t be designing these cats anymore after this year so better stock up on them while I can!!! I am planning on finishing the pumpkin tonight and maybe getting a start on the rest of Boo !

Here is my 2nd finish on the Great Pumpkin Challenge 2010 : I used the pumpkins from the Cricket Collection design The Great Pumpkin Conspiracy but changed them up a wee bit. Instead of using the recommended floss, I used some random DMC that I have in my stash. I stitched these two pumpkins on 14-ct Antique White Aida (Charles Craft). I am thinking about giving a try at a pinkeep using this piece so stay tuned…. Off to do more stitchy stuff!

Well, in stitches anyway! LOL I am participating in a Pumpkin themed SAL. The object is to stitch items with pumpkins by the deadline, which is Thanksgiving. It’s called The Great Pumpkin Challenge 2010 and is hosted by BeckySC. Be sure to check it out! There are many, many of us participating!!! So, with that said, here is my first Pumpkin for the Challenge (and I will be emailing the pic to BeckySC soon): I am calling this “Pumpkin Topiary Bookmark” and it is just a little something I did on my own. So, I guess I am the designer, LOL! It is stitched on 14-count Ribband brand Bookmark fabric by Bucilla. I used odds in DMC colors that I have leftover from other projects. I am working on a second something, that will be my own design, and hope to have it finished on the weekend!  

I decided to post an updated picture of my progress on The Great Pumpkin Conspiracy . I will have it finished this weekend for sure! Here is the latest picture: I woke up this morning to find a wonderful surprise on my kitchen table: that huge giveaway that I won over at Cindy Mae's blog at the end of 2009! Yay!!! I am a bit overwhelmed with all of the goodies inside the package and so thankful to be the recipient of such a wonderful prize! Thank you so very much Cindy Mae!  :D Here are some pictures of my winnings:  Group 1  (you will notice that Cindy Mae included a small stitched piece and a couple of her cording)  Group 2  Group 3  Front of stitched piece by Cindy Mae. I just love it!!!  Back of stitched piece Even Sandy had to take a look at all of the stash I received! I am not sure what I want to do first, but there are a couple of front-runners for sure.  I will post another update on the finished Great Pumpkins tomorrow along...

Well, I have spent the last couple of days putting a ton of stitches into The Great Pumpkin Conspiracy . My goal is to finish it over the weekend. Here are a couple of pics of my progress: I also noticed that there was a flower on one of the orange trees outside my bedroom window this morning, so I went outside and took some pictures of the trees. Here are a few of them: I had never really seen an orange blossom up close until this morning. While working my way around one of the trees, I began to notice the fragrance. What a wonderfully spring-like aroma! I also noticed some bees busily pollinating the flowers. If you look closely, you may catch a glimpse of one. Don't forget to check out the giveaway corner for giveaway opportunities on other blogs! Well, that's all for today! Thanks for stopping by!!!