Getting Tasks Done and "Oh Christmas Tree"- A Christmas Freebie

The turkeys are coming ! The turkeys are coming!"

Mr. Pinker jumped up and looked out the window. " I do not see any turkeys, "he replied. 

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"No, Silly. It is November! "

"Oh, " Mr. Pinker said with a nod. He knew what that usually means. "Mmmm  was that a hint ? Do you want me to help you get out your Thanksgiving decorations from the attic?" 

Happy November, Sweet friends! 

Politely, I smiled. "Nope, not today. I have other plans. See, I have a collection of fabrics. " 

"Aaw " said Mr. Pinker. "You do your thing. I am going to do mine. I am off to make some jerky . " And with that Mr. Pinker headed to the kitchen to begin the process of making a good supply of venison jerky for him and the grandsons. 

"Time to get to work, " I said to my thrifted Santa who was patiently waiting by my stack of fabrics. 

It did not take long for me to have an array  of 2 1/2" strips in reds, browns and taupes. 

2 1/2" strips cut. 

My mind was brewing over a  simple, small quilt to hang on my Hoosier cabinet. 

From the kitchen, I could here the hustle and bustle of Mr. Pinker clanking bowls about. " You need any help, Hun?" I called.  

"Nah, you just enjoy working on your quilt. " he replied back. I smiled. Such a good fella. 

With that I went back to the task at hand and cut the strips  into 2 1/2" squares . Then I began to play with the layout.  Gosh, I have already wrinkled my fabrics by manhandling them.😁😏 

 After a good pressing, it did not take long to sew those little squares into a wee quilt top. But I just knew I wanted to do something else to it. Hmmm a gingerbread would suit my fancy.  I ever so carefully cut out a gingerbread man from a scrap of dark brown calico.  

Soooo... to make a long story short.😁 That brings me to my slow stitch project today... I will be appliqueing this little fella to the quilt and then adding some features to his precious face. 

After I had pieced my red patchwork , I gave myself a big pat on the back and went into the kitchen to check on Mr. Pinker  who was a little flustered. 

"I am going to Wally World to get more supplies. Ya' wanta go? "  I looked around at the kitchen to see bowls , a sausage stuffer, grinder and such. 

"Nah, I will forgo that trip,  " I said with a smile. I knew that he would be quicker on his own, and I still had a few odd sized scraps leftover from my project.  

With  a ZOOM, ZOOM , ZOOM! The scraps were moved through the sewing machine, and as quick as a wink I had a little mug rug which I will be quilting  this week. 

As far as Mr. Pinker's project- well, he got his supplies and worked on making jerky sticks like Slim Jims. He will be smoking them today in his smokers. I think he is one happy fella about his project too. 

Can you tell  from my pictures that I am getting in the Christmas  mood? Hee ! Hee!  Later this evening , I will go to my daughter's to put up her Christmas tree. 🎄

Afterwards , I will settle down on the couch with a warm cup of apple spiced tea, and I will stitch away on my newest ornament called "O' Christmas Tree". 

"O' Christmas Tree" in the works. 

Last night I watched Christmas with the Kranks. I am not sure which movie I will watch tonight.  Do you have any suggestions? 

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If you are interested in stitching this piece,  just grab , the images. For printing tips, refer to the post Tips for Printing which has loads of tips from my sweet friends. 

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So Sweeties, what are your plans today? Decorating? Quilting? Stitching? or Just plain relaxing?

Have a wonderful day, friends and thank you for the sweet Sunday visit. 

As Always...

Happy  Stitching and Quilting,

 y'all

Melisa 

"The secret of getting ahead is getting started. "- Mark Twain 

Hugs and Stitches!!!!🤗🧵❤

Dedicated to my dear sister, Amy. I love and miss you so much.. Love you , Amo. 

I figured out the layout of my Halloween stamps for the larger sampler. I have laid the pillows out like I will stitch them . 

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🌞Pin Pillow Tutorial - 2023 post on how I finish my pin pillows with chenille trim. 

🌞A Spooky Parade - Halloween freebies up to October  4, 2025. More Halloween pieces followed this date.

I have been removing the decor from the buffet and am going to switch out the quilt. Then onto Christmas decorating! Eeeeh! 

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I am joining these lovely ladies' link parties. I hope you check them out; they always have so many wonderful projects going on and provide the opportunity for other needle workers to meet.

Frederique at   Quilting Patchwork Applique for Patchwork & Quilts - Saturday

Kathy at Kathy's Quilts for Slow Stitching Sunday

Kate at Life in Pieces for  Stitching Stuff ( Sunday) 

Cynthia at Quilting is More Fun Than Housework for Oh Scrap - Sunday 

Melva at Melva Loves Scraps for Sew & Tell- Sunday

Brenda at Songbird Designs for Monday Musings

Judy at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts for Design Wall Monday

Carol at Quilt Schmilt  for To Do List Tuesday 

Halloween Musings

 There is a chill in the air! 

The wind is blowing and the leaves are rustling.  

Soon little spooks and ghouls will be bustling . 

For Halloween is here. 

Happy Halloween, sweet friends and welcome. Will  you be entertaining ghosts and goblins tonight? I am sure to  be spooked by  just 4 with a visit from my grandsons and nephews, and then off to town they will go in search of sweets and treats. 

Today they were allowed to dress up for school and some classes even  had parties. How fun! 🍬🍬🍬 Tonight they will set out on their grand candy seeking adventure a little before 5:00 when most of the other goblins come out. 

Speaking of treats- my dear friend, Dianet has the most precious Halloween Freebie on her blog, Parchesdeamor blogspot. It is a darling Halloween  Potion Jar; it is sure to cast a spell upon you.🫙🫙 It will be my Halloween start for the day. I will be choosing my fabric and gathering my floss. Thank you, Dianet.  I will be sure to post my progress as I work on it.  Will you be starting a new project today? 

Did I ever show you my 2 Halloween cookie jars I bought this year? They were from Walmart . I have enjoyed them so much. In fact, the ghosts inspired my hutch display for the year. 

Of course my hutch was filled to the brim with all things Halloween.

Mr. Pinker made the hutch for me years ago. I enjoy filling it with treasures and handmades for the season. 

 Late tonight at the stroke of midnight  ( nah not really that early)  all of these spooks will be banished to the deep dark depths of the attic until next year.  Bye bye black cats and pesky bats. 🦇🦇🦇

Hmmm will turkeys flutter down to roost on the hutch to rest? Or will Santa shoo them away and adorn the shelves brightly colored baubles? I haven't decided yet. Usually I display my turkeys , but I am hearing jingle bells as the Christmas vibes are strongly calling.  

I am curious. - When do you begin decorating for Christmas? 

2023's Thanksgiving hutch. 

Alrighty , Sweeties, that's my Halloween musings. A bit of this and that and a whole lot of nothing- LOL. 

Now you have a  magical and spooktacular day! 

👻🎃👻🎃👻🎃👻🎃👻🎃👻🎃

As Always...

Happy  Stitching and Quilting,

 y'all

Melisa 

"There is magic in the night when the pumpkins glow in the moonlight. "- Unknown 

Hugs and Stitches!!!!🤗🧵❤

Dedicated to my dear sister, Amy who always loved dressing up for Halloween. The holidays are not the same without you. I love and miss you so much.. Love you , Amo. 

🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃

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I am still working away on my Otis Payne Bow Tie quilt. Isn't the lime green bow tie snazzy? So retro. 

A Creepy Crawlie Finish

A little spider told me that I needed to finish a quilt!

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Little Eeek and Jack Stamp

Good morning, Sweetie Pies!   

Just in time for Halloween , I finished Shoo Spider Shoo! 

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Shoo Fly Shoo measures 16 " x 16". 

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I started this little quilt a couple of years ago using Halloween fabrics that had been in my stash for eons. Though it is not perfect, I think it turned out pretty cute despite all of the creepy crawlies.🕷🕷🕷 Hee! Hee! 

 I shared the measurements in my Sept . 15 2021 post.

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I think I will start a little Christmas themed quilt next. 

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Boo Hoo!  Ole' Edna is sad and lonely! 

 

Her bestie-  Rodster the bull has returned to his home farm after spending many months courting the gals. Most of the time he and Edna would be seen grazing together .  When Rodster was hauled away, Edna was none too happy and was quite a spectacle.😊😏 Thankfully, she has calmed down now. Bless her  pea pickin' heart. ❤

Goodbye, Rodster. I hope you return next spring. You are adorable! 

Alrighty, y'all that is what is going on in the holler today. I hope your day is a delightful one and watch out for any creepy crawlies.  🕷🕷🕷 🕷🕷🕷 🕷🕷🕷 🕷🕷🕷 🕷🕷🕷 🕷🕷

As Always...

Happy  Stitching and Quilting,

 y'all

Melisa 

"Because of you , I laugh a little harder, cry a little less and smile a lot more. "- unknown 

Hugs and Stitches!!!!🤗🧵❤

Dedicated to my dear sister, Amy. I love and miss you so much.. Love you , Amo. 

Top Hat Jack a freebie from Lori at Not forgotten Farm available on her website. 

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Oct. 31st Stamp- A Halloween Freebie

Three more days until the spooks come out! 👻👻👻👻

  Image from Pinterest. 

I am still stitching away and  hoping for treats rather than any tricks.😁 I have one more stamp to share for this year. It is Oct. 31 Stamp- just a simple stitch with a jack, a ghost and some sweet treats.  

 

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If you are interested in stitching this piece,  just grab , the images. For printing tips, refer to the post Tips for Printing which has loads of tips from my sweet friends. 

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If you have missed any of the other stamps and stitches, just click on the colored links below and you will be transported back to the post and charts. 

Halloween Stamp Sampler - Header and Borders

I used my Little Jack Trifle  as a scissor fob. 

Boo and Jack Stamp, Little Black Cat Stamp,  Three Happy Jacks,

Smell My Feet Stamp 

Clementine and Baby Jack Stamp

  How Does Your Cauldron Grow? ,  Little Eeek and Jack Stamp and Little Hoot Stamp

I have already worked out 3  additional stamps, but I will save those for next year's treats. 🎃🎃🎃🎃

I stitched the Header to make into a pin pillow. 

Now tell me . What is your favorite Halloween candy? 

Mine? Hmmm ... well as a kid I always enjoyed bubblegum or Smarties. Of course, Tootsie Rolls ranked high on my list as well. Living out in the boonies, we did not get to go trick or treating often. Any sweet was a treat back then. 🍬🍬🍬🤗 

Thank  you for dropping by for a visit today. I will keep it short and sweet for there is Halloween stitching to get to!

As Always...

Happy  Stitching and Quilting,

 y'all

Melisa 

"Dear Great Pumpkin, I am looking forward to your arrival on Halloween night. " Linus  from Peanuts 

Hugs and Stitches!!!!🤗🧵❤

Dedicated to my dear sister, Amy. I love and miss you so much.. Love you , Amo. 

My latest thrifty finds include a vintage made in Japan rooster, a McCoy Planter and a ball shaped Hall pitcher. 

🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃

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This little cabinet is also a new thrifty find. I think I will paint it. 

Tales from Camp and Sweet Friends

 Hello there Stranger! Welcome! 

Mr. Pinker and I have rambled our way back home after a long camping trip. We had a humdinger of a time. Now I must confess there were not a lot of adventures, but it was peaceful and relaxing which was fine and dandy with me.  

Before we left on our adventure , Mr. Pinker said, " I have an idea for our camper!"  He was grinning from ear to ear. 

With a little hesitation, I asked, "What?"

"Put our camper on a trailer!" he replied. 

"What!?! " I exclaimed. I could not envision it. What was this mad man thinking .😂🤪Hee! Hee! 

Well, it was not long before Mr. Pinker drove Ole' Big Red and the Ole' Truck Camper into the field. 

Soon the camper was unloaded . "I just don't know about this, " I said to Mr. Pinker. 

"Just trust me," he said as he left to get the trailer.  Soon he was backing the trailer up to the camper.  Eeek!   I was nervous as a long tailed cat in a room of rocking chairs! 

"How are you going to get it on the trailer? " I asked perplexed. 

"Just wait and see, " said Mr. Pinker as he bustled up the hill to bring down one of the tractors. Soon another joined. Using the buckets and the lifts the camper was held in place as the "legs" were removed . I stood far back for I was certain a disaster was going to take place. 

Preparing to balance the camper before loading. 

Slowly and carefully, Mr. Pinker eased the truck and trailer under the camper and soon it was nestled on the gooseneck.  

"I am not sure if I am going to like this. " I replied. But Mr. Pinker reassured me that there would be some advantages and if we did not like it , we could always take it off. 

Camper all loaded and at the campsite. 

So what did I think of our maiden voyage with our new set up? Well, I liked it !   We could carry more and take the truck out without having to unload the camper to save our site if we wanted and.... I liked having a trailer for a deck . The downside was loading and unloading our stuff in the camper, but other than that all was good. 

Oh , I forgot! We did have a flat on the way. Thankfully, Mr. Pinker had the spare on the trailer in 2 shakes of a lamb's tail, and we were on our way. 

Yikes! We have a shredded tire! Oh bother! 

We will probably go with this layout when we leave for the winter trip. We will be able to take more food and water with us which is a big plus when camping off grid. 

I finished Spring Wildflower Mini Sampler which I shared in June. 

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May I show you my "happy display" that sits on my wee coffee table ? Lots of little treasures  which warms my heart and makes me smile. Dear Vivian, stitched my Blooms of Sunshine and  made me the most darling card. 🤗🌻💛

Look at all of the details and she included in the  beautiful card and the sweetest handmade note cards with envelopes. My heart is still going thumpity thump over these gifts. Thank you so much , dear Vivian. I will treasure these. 💗💗

Hmmm... what else is in my thrifted enamelware bowl? Well a big cloth pumpkin gifted to me from my sweet sister in 2020. I will always remember her pulling up in my driveway after a day out thrifting. She opened up her trunk showed me her thrifty finds and gave me a few as well. I miss her more and more as the days go by.   

I also have some other goodies. Like an old vintage crumb catcher, a cutie patootie stationary pad, and some vintage sewing tools including the Dritz tracing wheel. I do believe it has a bakelite handle if I am not mistaken. 

The darling needlebook was a gift from sweet Robin. Perfect for stitching all year round.  Don't ya' think? Thank you Robin. 🤗🧡 I say my wee table is all set and ready for some stitching . 

I have one more Halloween stamp to post for this year. I will be posting it  as soon as I can get it printed and loaded so do stay tuned. In the meantime, I have fallen behind on stitching the Halloween Stamp Sampler so I do need to catch up on that. 

Well, Sweeties, here I have done it again- chatted your ears off. I do apologize. So tell me what do you have on the agenda for the day?  

Have a beautiful day! 

As Always...

Happy  Stitching and Quilting,

 y'all

Melisa 

"Friendship is another word for love.  " 

Hugs and Stitches!!!!🤗🧵❤

Dedicated to my dear sister, Amy. I love and miss you so much.. Love you , Amo. 

🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃

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🌞Parade of Homes- Early 2025 parade of home freebies.

🌞 Root A Toot Toot Patriotic Parade Early 2024 patriotic freebies. 

🌞A Berry Nice Parade- A Look at Past Berry Freebies 2025- Early 2025 berry Freebies. 

🌞A Buzzy Bee Parade An early 2025 bee freebie parade.

🌞A Sunny Sunflower Parade for 2025 A parade of sunflower freebies up to July 24, 2025

🌞Pumpkin, Leaves and Autumn Please- A Fall Parade 2025 A parade of Fall themed stitches and doodles up to September 8, 2025.

🌞 A Parade of Stamps 2025  A parade of stamp cross stitch design freebies up to August 14, 2025

🌞Time to Dye-  2024 post on how I tea/ Coffee Dye my fabric. 

🌞Pin Pillow Tutorial - 2023 post on how I finish my pin pillows with chenille trim. 

🌞A Spooky Parade - Halloween freebies up to October  4, 2025. More Halloween pieces followed this date.