Yummy Goodness!!

Good Evening All!!

Just a few announcements and to quote my son-in-law,

the chef, a little "Yummy Goodness" to share.  This 

is not his recipe, but that is what he says when he likes

 something a lot.  If he ever has a restaurant I think 

that would be a great name.  What do you think?

Stitching Jubilee, 
a consumer show, is coming 

up soon.  It will be held in wonderful downtown

Lancaster, Pennsylvania,  October 14-16.  The 

Convention Center is in downtown Lancaster 

adjoining the Lancaster Marriott.  My

Trunk Show of new items will be displayed in

Stitch 'N Stuff's great booth.  I'm sure they will

have all kinds of wonderful things to tempt you.

If you are in the area, you really should try to go.

I think you will love it.

Deb, the owner of Stitch 'N Stuff, wanted me

to mention that their shoppe in Reading, PA

will be open Sunday from 11-3.  So if you are

heading home and are in the vicinity you might

want to venture by.  You will be happy you did.

Next, I thought I would share with you my

design that is in the
Just Cross Stitch Christmas

issue.  I have been in this issue since it was

first published, resulting in many designs.

The Pointed Ornament that the design is

stitched on is my design as well and available 

from me and many shoppes.  

 I purchased the rick rack from Hancock

Fabrics and coffee dyed it.  The Amber

Pearl Star button is available from me.

Hope you like it!!

Now for "Yummy Goodness"!!

This is a recipe that I found in my local

newspaper and adapted it to our liking.

  It is really great anytime of the year and can be

 totally vegetarian or great with a little meat.  

I added meat because my husband, Lehmer,

 prefers it that way.

Savory Vegetable Chicken Gratin

-2 medium yellow squash cut in 1/4" slices

-2 medium zucchini cut in 1/4" slices

(If either of these are really big, cut the slices

in half.)

-1 cooked skinless, boneless chicken breast - diced

-2 cooked and crumbled slices of bacon or 2 TBSP

real bacon bits that come in a package

-8 oz. Portobello mushrooms, sliced

-1 (8.5 oz.) can of drained artichoke hearts 

(I only had the marinated kind, so I drained

and then rinsed several times to get rid of some

of the added flavor)

-1/4 cup of panko bread crumbs and

2 TBSP flax seed meal.  Mix together.

(If you do not have this, just add two TBSP more 

of panko. The flax seed meal is a great source 

of extra fiber.  I love it.  You should try it sometime.)

-1/2 TSP of dried oregano

-1 TBSP of flour (I used whole wheat flour)

-1/2 TSP salt, divided

-1/2 TSP pepper, divided

-2 TBSP finely minced onions

-1 1/2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese

-2 TBSP grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup half and half

(since I didn't have half and half and am trying

to avoid the fat, I mixed 1/4 cup low fat

sour cream with 1/4 cup of 1% milk)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

-In a large bowl, mix all squash, artichokes, chicken, 

bacon, onions, and mushrooms. In a smaller bowl mix
 together 1/4 cup bread crumbs and flax seed mixture, 
oregano, flour, Parmesan, and half the salt and pepper. 
Pour over vegetable/meat mixture and mix well.

-Spread half of squash mixture over bottom of a 7" X

11" baking dish coated with cooking spray.

-Toss together the Mozzarella cheese, the remaining

crumbs and salt and pepper 

-Spread half over the squash mixture.  Repeat squash

layer and top with remaining cheese and crumb layer

-Drizzle with half and half. Cover with tin foil and bake

for 25 minutes.  Remove the foil and bake for 

another 25 minutes or until squash is tender and

top is golden.

-Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

This is even better the next day.  I love

left overs and thank goodness, Lehmer, my

husband, does too.

Let me know how you like it.

Many Happy Stitches,

Sandra

Autumn Stuff

Hi Everyone,

First of all, thanks for the orders for the Halloween Papermakings.

I'm sure you will enjoy it.  The ornaments are quick to stitch

and the tree is fun to make too.

I mentioned last night that I might have some fun "wares"

that you would not have to stitch.

So here goes.  

If I don't mention that the item is limited, then I will

be able to make more.

This is "Ewe and Pumpkin" and I only have two.

It is a hand-painted papermache pumpkin that

measures 5" high X 5" across.

The cost is $12.00 plus $3.50 shipping in US.

This is "Burlap Halloween Cat" and I only have three.

It is hand painted on burlap and backed with burlap.

It is stitched together with a running stitch and

embellished with a tiny black button eye.

The cost is $13.00 plus $3.50 for shipping in US.

These are little wearable pins or magnets.  They

are decoupaged with prints of my paintings.

The "Fluffy Turkey" is the only one that is

hand-painted.  Please specify pin or magnet.

The circles are 1" in diameter.  The "Triple Pumpkin"

star is 2" across and 1 1/2" high.  The "Pumpkin and

Friend" heart is 2 3/4" high X 1 3/8" across. 

Priced as follows:

"Pumpkin and Friend" Heart  is $8.00.  The "Triple Pumpkin"

Star is $7.00.

"Still Life", "Witch", and "Pumpkin" Circles are

$7.00.

The hand-painted "Fluffy Turkey" is $9.00 plus

$2.50 shipping in the US.

 Next are my hand-painted "Autumn" Cupboard 

Hanger and "Pumpkin" Cupboard Hanger.

They are trimmed with  bittersweet artificial

berries.  The cost is $11.00 plus  $3.50 shipping

in the US.

I do have a limited amount of these.  

Hope you see something to tickle your 

Autumn fancy!
 I take Paypal, Visa, Mastercard,
and personal checks.  Just email me if you would
like something.  I will also combine shipping on
multiple items.


Watch for a sneak peak of a new
Christmas design soon.  


Many Happy Stitches,
Sandra

Great Weekend

Hi Everyone!

We had a great weekend here in Fredericksburg, VA.

We didn't wash away after all from our many inches

of rain.  Boy did we need it.  What is left of the

flowers are all standing up and looking happy for

the first time in weeks.  Their last hurrah before

frost gets here.

I didn't get to do much Homespun Elegance work

this weekend.  We went to a beautiful wedding on

Saturday which took up most of the day.  We

had quite a little journey to get to the reception and

I was looking forward to the ride so I could stitch

on the way.  Well, when I pulled out my project my

needle was not there.  You can imagine my disap-

pointment.  I never ride in the car for a distance

like that without stitching.  I was miserable.  All

I could think about was missed stitching time.

Do you use every available moment to stitch?

I think I am obsessed.

There is a little bit of time left to stitch some

more Halloween stuff.  I came across a little

stack of "Halloween Papermakings" fixings

 in my storage unit, so I have put them together. 

 There are 13 quick and easy designs.  The

 tan perforated paper is included plus the tan
backing paper.  Even the directions for  making 
the wire Halloween tree.  When these are gone
 that will be it although I will probably use the designs 
in another way.  This Project Pack is not available
in your needlework shoppe.

The cost is $9.50 which includes shipping

(in the US).  International slightly more.

Hope you like it!!

Have a great evening.  I hope to be back 

tomorrow with some Halloween stuff

that doesn't have to be stitched.  

Many Happy Stitches,

Sandra

Fall is Coming Soon

Greetings to all!!

I'll believe it when I feel it.  Fall is suppose to arrive in

Virginia tomorrow with crisp temperatures.  The sun

is suppose to appear after several days of blessed,

but in some cases excessive amounts of rain.  We

so needed it though.  We live next to a wooded

area and I always start to fret when it becomes

this dry in the Fall.  We have kids who walk through

the woods going from one neighborhood to another.

I know some of them are smoking, so I worry

about fires.  Thankfully I can stop thinking

about that for a while.

  I am really into my Christmas designing now.

There will be so many new things to show

you in the coming weeks.  Here is a "snippet"

of a new design.

I will have the second design in my new "Delivering"

series soon.  It will be a Christmas design, full of "olde"

fashion charm.  I think you will like it.  Will

show a little bit of that soon.

Update on my automobile accident.  I will be

starting physical therapy on Monday for my

shoulders.  Happy to report that the Dr.

does not think it is my rotator, so no surgery.

Thank heavens.  I hate physical therapy but

maybe I will be even stronger than before

when it is over. 

Hope to get some Fall decorating done this weekend.

Will show some pictures of the transformation

when done.

In the upper left corner, I now have a link to my

Etsy site.  You might want to check there occasionally.

I am going to be listing my new publications and lots of

other finished "wares".  

Wishing you a great night with "Many Happy Stitches",

Sandra

Fall, I don't think so!!

Hi Everyone,

The calendar says it is Fall, but I don't think so.  I'm 

thinking mums and this is what I get in my garden.  It was

 100 degrees in Fredericksburg, VA yesterday and is in the

90's today.

I have usually decorated for Fall by now, but not

this year.  Even last year with the wedding fast

approaching and no extra time, I still had it

all finished.  Maybe tomorrow when the 

weather breaks I will be inspired.

I do have two little hints of Fall in my house to

share.  This is my wonderful antique dough bowl

filled with dried stuff (can you see the dried mini 

pineapples), pine cones, nuts, and great

smelling potpourri and my "mulled cider"

candle.  My favorite scent this time of year.

This has nothing to do with Fall, but I thought

I would show you my guest bathroom that has 

my collection of silhouettes.  This doesn't show

them all.  I'm just a little obsessed with them.

The one in the upper right is one of my designs.

 I will have some more

sneak peaks soon and "wares" for sale.

In regard to the "Stitching Lady" journals

a few posts back.  I titled it All Gone and many

of you thought I meant they were all gone.  I

was referring to the four journals on the

previous post for the special price.  All of

the journals are available and will continue to

be at the $10.00 price.  Hope this clears up

the confusion.  I need to think a little more

before I write.  

"Many Happy Stitches"

Sandra

Goodies For Sale

Hi Everyone,

I have some fun things to offer you.

Above are two examples of my stitched

 "Rollup Necessaires" in my collection. 

  The ones being offered are all different, being

made from various high quality cottons and linens,
and ready for your special stitches and stitching
things.  Each is finished with a "Vintage" button
 for the closure.  The linen area is a
  26 to 28 count linen.

Each Necessaire will come with a nice set of

sampler motifs and a wonderful antique alphabet

for personalizing.  Each has a nice pin cushion at

the very bottom for your needles, stuffed
with a combination of polyfil, sawdust, and 
crushed walnut shells.  There is a pocket 

deep enough to keep your scissors safe.
They are approximately 14" long and 4" wide.

The price is $32.00 plus shipping.

...............................

Here are the seven I have available now.
First come .....First Serve

Rollup No. 1

Rollup No. 2

Rollup No. 3

Rollup No. 4

Rollup No. 5

Rollup No. 6

Rollup No. 7
Stay tuned for other pre-finished
items to stitch on.


Hope you are having a great evening
filled with "Many Happy Stitches",
Sandra

All Gone

Hi Everyone,

Thank you sooo much for lots of things --

>>Your well wishes to Hollis and I in regard to 

our accident. Yes we are on the mend, but I'm a 

lot slower due to my ancient body.  Please

 forgive me for not getting orders and emails

 out faster.

>>For the great response to my freebie

"Boo Tyme".  

>>For your kind words about my new designs and

the subsequent orders.  I'm so excited about the

AUTO sign ups for the "Halloween Year".

>>For buying all of the journals I pictured

on the last post and for ordering many more.

I am placing an order tomorrow for the base

journal so I can fill your wonderful orders.

Please note that orders for new journals

are selling for the original price which is $10.00.

The shipping will be $3.25 for one.  I will

adjust shipping for multiple journals.

The journals can be stamped with 

"Stitching Notes", "House Notes", or

with just the picture.

Note "The Stitching Lady" journal above.

She is available as well in the large

and small version.  The large journal measures

5 1/2" X 8" and the baby journal is 3" X 4".

Both have approximately 50 tan ruled pages. 

 The baby journal is $5.00 plus $2.15 shipping.  I will

 adjust shipping for multiple journals.
What great Christmas presents for your
stitching friends!!


Many happy Stitches,
Sandra

Journals Offered

I'm thinking Christmas presents.  Can you believe that!

I found a few of my journals on the shelf, some adorned 

with my art work (decoupaged) or my needlework 

(also decoupaged).  These are stamped with

"House Notes".  I use mine to record things like paint

colors, annual appointments (such as the exterminator),

what and when I plant flowers and bushes, when I buy
and what I pay for household equipment, etc.

Just a general household record.  Great for newly weds

and first time homeowners.

These journals are for my blog friends at the special
price of $7.00 plus $2.50 shipping.

These are the only ones I have made right now, so

first come, first serve.

SOLD  "Courtship" House Notes

SOLD  "Sampler Motif" House Notes

SOLD  "Freedom House" House Notes

SOLD  "Be At Peace" House Notes

All of these journals measure 5 1/2" X 8" and are
decoupaged with the art work.  Each has about
50 tan ruled pages.A Sheltering Tree bookmark 
will be included.



All of these journals can be stamped with 

Let me know if you would like any of the 
above.

"Stitching Notes" as well.  I will have to make
them as ordered, so they will be at the
 original price of $10.00 plus $2.50 shipping.
Many Happy Stitches,
Sandra

Sharing Finishes

Hi Everyone!!

Back again! You are probably wondering what more 

could she have to say after the last lengthy post.

Well, a couple of nice people have shared

with me how they finished some of my designs.

The freebie "Boo Tyme" has been finished in

the most charming way by Faye Riggsbee. 

Here is the link to her equally charming Blog.

 www.carolinastitcher.blogspot.com.  

She also has the picture of my "Joyful Autumn" design

that you must see.  It was stitched by Berit as an 

Autumn exchange for Faye.  Go to the bottom of this
 Blog post to see it.  How pretty!  Don't you love 
that ribbon.  To see more of Berit's wonderful
finishes click here
 http://www.pathofpinsandneedles.blogspot.com/.

Some things are just timeless and samplers are a

prime example.  Years ago, in 1984,  I reproduced 

 my first antique sampler.  It is a Pennsylvania 

sampler and I titled it simply, Unfinished Sampler,

because that is what it is.  That does not take

away from the charm of it, it just makes you

wonder why it was never finished.  Joy from

www.countingbitsofjoy.blogspot.com

has shown wonderful pictures of her stitching and

 how she aged the sampler.  She used coffee, kitchen

 bouquet, matches and sand paper.  It is just great.

You would never know it was not an antique.

Pretty scary how good we are getting at this

aging thing.  Here is one of the pictures.

Please visit her wonderful blog to see more.
This design is still available if anyone is interested.

And here is the picture of Berit's model of my
"Joyful Autumn" as I mentioned above.

If anyone else has pictures of their finishes, please send

them along in an email.  I would love to show them.

Thank all of you for liking my designs.

Many Happy Stitches,

Sandra

New Designs

Hello Everyone!!

First of all, I want to thank all of you for all

of your kind words about our accident.  It

meant so much to me that you took the time

to send your thoughts our way.  What a

wonderful group of ladies you are.

  I'm still sick about not being able to

be at Notforgotten Farm.  Just cannot seem to let it go.  

But since I cannot lift anything until further notice, 
it is just impossible.  Let me get the other bad news 

over with first and then I'll move on to happy stuff. 
Our car is totaled.  No surprise, but

still really upsetting.  I went to the Orthopedic 

doctor on Tuesday.  No firm diagnosis.  She

gave me medicine to take for two weeks, and if

it doesn't improve, then I will have MRI's.  So

far it is about the same.  I keep thinking I'm

going to wake up and all the pain will be gone.

Old muscles obviously don't respond very well.

OK, enough of that.

Here are my new designs that will be shown

at the St. Charles Market.  I wish I could

be there, but it was just not possible this year.

I have all kinds of new things to share with you.

You may remember that I mentioned that an

announcement was coming.  That announcement

is that I am going to have a new collection

called

"A Halloween Year."

This is how it will work.  Starting with

October, two designs will be released

every other month, for a total of six

shipments.  If you are interested in an

automatic shipment, just let your shoppe 

or me know.

All designs will retail for $7.00.

The first shipment will include

CS-45 - "Stitching Witch"

 I have TEN

 hand-painted - 4" X 4 1/2" 

Brown Grain Wood frames and the

Olde Brass "Star Pumpkin" button

available for the special price of $28.40

plus shipping.

Normal retail is $35.50.

This design was stitched on 30 Ct. "Straw"

hand-dyed linen by Weeks Dye Works.

The second design in this first shipment is

CS- 46 - "Brooms For Sale."

This design was stitched on 30 Ct. "Havana",

hand-dyed linen by Weeks Dye Works, and 

embellished with my Olde Brass "Squirrel"

button.  The hanger is made from Rusty

Wire with an Olde Brass "Star" threaded

through the wire.  So simple and so 

primitive.

I have the embellishment pack available
that includes my Olde Brass "Star" and
"Squirrel" buttons and a piece of Rusty
Wire to make the ornament for $6.50
plus shipping.

My 2010 Annual Sampler Ornament

is next,

10SP - "Reindeer 'A Waiting".

Now we know what the reindeer are doing

while Santa is working!

This design was stitched on 30 Ct. "Mink"

by R and R Reproductions.  The "Snowflake"

brass charm is included.

This design retails for $8.00.

This completes my ANNUAL ORNAMENTS

for 2010.  I hope you like them.

And, last but not least,

No. 231 "Holiest Of Nights".

This design was such a joy to work on.  I hope

that this will be a classic that you will always

love displaying at this most special time of year.

It has traditional elements such as the sampler border

and sampler style lettering, but a little primitive in

the overall design.  I love my Olde Brass "Angels"

in the upper corners of the arch.  A cotton

trim that I had in my collection was coffee dyed.

 I am trying to find some more of this trim or something 

very similar to offer you.  Will let you know if

I have any luck.  If the blue that I used in the arch

and the border do not go in your decor, just change

both, but remember to use something in the same

tone. Don't go too light or too dark.

It is stitched on 30 Ct. "Putty" hand-dyed linen by

Weeks Dye Works.

Retail $9.00.

Hope you have enjoyed my little personal show.

If you have any questions, just email me.

Also, we now accept Paypal in addition to VISA,
Mastercard, and personal checks.  I haven't 

used Paypal yet, but it is suppose to be easy.

"Many Happy Stitches",

Sandra

What A Difference A Few Hours Make

Hello Everyone,

Hollis and I are back from our wonderful, relaxing, indulging

weekend in Nags Head, North Carolina.  The weather was

more than we could have hoped for.  Absolutely no humidity,

almost cloudless skies, and the most perfect ocean breezes.

I didn't even lug my umbrella and chairs to the beach.

The hotel provided them at a reasonable cost, so I

took advantage of that little luxury.  I must tell you that we
even had the famous "Duck Donuts" that we were told we
must have.  Oh, my gosh, were they good.  Thanks everyone
for telling me about them.
I have a few pictures to share.

lst night from our balcony

Hollis getting her feet wet

Me getting my feet wet.  

On our balcony

A beautiful morning

A late night sweet attack = room service!!

We came back to Richmond on Monday morning.

We were dreading awful traffic, but it really

wasn't too bad.  The trip down was a breeze.

No backups anywhere.  When we got home

we did some shopping for a baby shower

we were hosting for my nephew and his wife on 

Sunday and for some gifts for our dear friend Ethel's

80th birthday party.  We were feeling very good

about all we had accomplished and were about

one mile from Hollis' house and look at what 

happened to us.  

We are both very lucky.  The car hit us on my side,

but at the front of the car.  We also had damage to
the rear of the car.  I really do not understand how
that happened, but it did.

He did not stop for a stop sign.  I saw him coming

and he was probably going at least 30mph and

  obviously had no intention of stopping.  I screamed 

at Hollis and we were immediately hit and

shoved through the intersection into the oncoming

lanes.  We were so fortunate that no one was coming.

The air bags opened.  I actually thought the car

was on fire because of the smoke-like substance
in the car.  We got pretty banged up, but nothing life
threatening.  The airbags really hurt Hollis' chest
which was pretty scary and very painful.

It will take a while for the aches and pains to go

away, but we are so lucky.  A split second later

and he would have hit at the door and who knows what
kind of shape I would be in now.

 I hope the injuries to my shoulders are not long

lasting.  Believe it or not, I can still stitch, but working on
the computer has proved to be problematic along with
other duties that I must perform.

  I go to the doctor again on Tuesday.  I
 guess I will find out then what is really wrong with
my shoulders and what can be done about it.
We fear that our car was totaled.  I am
 really upset about that because it was paid for and I
planned to keep it for a few more years.
The other thing that I am upset about is that I had made
the decision to be a vendor at Norforgotten Farm's
Gathering next weekend and now I cannot be there.  
I was so looking forward to it.  I cannot drive and even if
I could my SUV is out of commission, I cannot finish all the
items I wanted to take, and I cannot set up my display
with two worthless shoulders.
Oh, well, maybe next year!!  
I will be putting  some of the things I had planned to take
there on the Blog and my Etsy site as soon as I can.
Many of you have asked when my new things will
be ready.  I am a little behind now, but hope to
show finished models in a few days.
I have emails and orders waiting and I am sorry.

Thank you for your patience.


Many Happy Stitches,
Sandra