Just Received "Pumpkitten"

And here it is the day before Halloween, having received it yesterday. It reminded me I had a couple of other kitty Halloween "smalls," which I dug out and got a picture of what I want to do next year. I should have pulled out my piece of Bittersweet Jobelan that Pumpkitten calls for. I couldn't believe my luck in having the fabric also.

I have tons of other Halloween charts, but "Pumpkitten" reminded me of my kitty charts, and "Pumpkitten" is the cutest thing I've ever seen! I love it!

My Babies and DD's "Mama"

My daughter, Vanessa, emailed me the picture at the bottom left today. She and I both collect cats and Longaberger baskets. She has four cats to my three, and the one on the bottom left is the Mama of my kitty, Caiti, two years old, upper right. Mama's name is actually Tigger, but she answers to Mama. See how much Caiti looks like her Mama.

Anyway, Mama decided recently that she likes the looks of Vanessa's pantry basket between the top of the cabinets and the kitchen ceiling. She's a petite springy little thing, but after her jump, she was a bit tired, so she just took her nap in the basket. They all say she's dumb, but I think she's just a bit accentric. Hey, there's nothing stupid about getting nice and toasty on a cool day up near the ceiling where it's warm and no one can bother her. Besides that, she made a lot of pretty babies and brought a lot of happiness to several homes before she was spayed.

My kitty family is as follows: My newest, whom I featured in a previous post is Amber, right, and I adopted the little doll from the Care Shelter this month. She's pretty much calling the shots with my oldest, top left, Pibbie (short for Pib---meaning Pain In the Butt), who is nine, and last, but not least, is my two-year-old Caiti (pronounced Cat-Tee). They're equally precious in their own ways and are so completely different that it's amazing they do so well together.

You Know You Have Too Much Stash When.......

you start buying little splurges like hand-painted needle and scissor magnets. The scissor magnet at top is painted with a kitty that says "Meow." I love it!

At the bottom of the same card, I just stuck my needle magnet, not hand-painted, so you could see it too (my first initial).

I'll have to gather my scissor collection I've been acquiring from eBay and use them in a later post. Little indulgences....

My Happy Stitchin'

In these, the low days of catastrophic tragedy that break our hearts and make us want to quit life as we know it, run to help our fellow Americans who are hurting in a way we can't imagine; prices at the gas pump that make us wonder if we're going to be able to leave home; and just stressful news at every turn, making us all wonder at our futures, it's nice to have some happy stitchin' like my little Bent Creek "Dance of the Bumblebee." He was a delight to stitch, and I have his mate, "Jig of the Ladybug," kitted and ready to stitch for my therapy. Bless their little hearts for gracing my life. This happy little guy's lady will be joining him soon. For now, he has a sweet, little bee fairy flitting around.

Who Says A Blog Has To Be All Business?

Your Brain's Pattern

You have a dreamy mind, full of fancy and fantasy. You have the ability to stay forever entertained with your thoughts. People may say you're hard to read, but that's because you're so internally focused. But when you do share what you're thinking, people are impressed with your imagination.

What Pattern Is Your Brain?

And how about a Birthdate Calculator and how the moon looked on that day; then an analysis of your name as it pertains to you personally? Awesome!

Vikki's StitchnButtons

I have acquired the above buttons made by a very talented friend, Vikki Gable, who is now selling her handmade polymer clay buttons through a favorite online LNS of mine, hers, and a lot of other people on several of my Yahoo stitching groups---Shirley's Country Cottage. She continues to dream up new designs, but with a family and full time job, she finds herself pressed for the time and energy. I would love to see her business pick up to the point where she could spend more time creatively. I adore her buttons!

I guess I should give credit to my little Boyds squirrel, Merle B. Squirrel, with the beautifully carved acorn around his neck. My house is filled with critters, both alive and of the stuffed variety. Hey, Vikki! How about an acorn button???

A Couple of Great Links

This one shows some nice finishing ideas: The VS Finishing Ideas!

This one is a fallish freebie, sent to me by Dianne Collins of PA:
Kreinik Manufacturing Co., Inc. :: Freebies :: Cross Stitch :: Halloween Cross Stitch :: Roly Poly Scarecrow

Mail Stash Day

I ordered these things from Bobbie at Stitching Bits & Bobs during her Autumn Sale, all at 25% off. From left to right, An October Box by Cherished Stitches, Bent Creek's "Let Us Be Thankful Row (sooo cute), "My Favorite Primitive Stitching Bags" by Hands To Work, and the newest surprise Mirabilia, "Garden Beauty;" at the bottom is "Shawnon's Travel Sewing Kit" by Keslyn's (really pretty). Bobbie included a skein of green Rajmahal Art Silk as a gift, which you will see on the Bent Creek leaflet. I love getting stash in the mail!

New Family Member

This is the newest addition to my kitty family, and she gives lots of kitty kisses. She has stolen our hearts and adapted to our home so quickly, I can't believe it! Now, that's not to say the other two have adapted to her. No, it's still hisses for them, but it takes the cats who've been around a while to get used to a new one. This puts my kitty family up to 3, and that's just perfect. We adopted her from the Care Shelter, so she's not a tiny kitten, but we feel really good about giving her a loving home.

Everyone, please meet Amber. Cross stitches and kitty kisses go together like needle and thread in my home.

A Dab of Christmas Stash

The 2005 Christmas ornament issue of Just Cross Stitch magazine and my monthly Stash of the Month shipment from Silkweaver. The fabric is Ivory Reflections (you see the sparkles if you click on the image), 4 spools of Kreinik Blending Filament, and assorted buttons from Just Anther Button Company.