A Winner is Drawn! & Fabulous Fall!

 
Congratulations, Lorene Frischknecht, you have won the draw and if you'll send me an address I'll get the magazine off to you as soon as possible.  Thanks everyone who left a comment, I'll have another giveaway soon.


Ellison's Orange Apples


 

 Fall is arriving in all its glory here on Gracewood.  This is the first picking of our Ellison's Orange apples.  They are described as having an 'intense, rich, aromatic flavor with a taste of aniseed.  The flesh is crisp, yet soft and juicy'.  Now it is time for apple crisp, apple pancakes, apple kuchen, apple... fill in the blank!

 

 

A pair of twin fawns are getting big and will lose those spots soon as all of the deer are getting their darker thicker winter coats right now.  They just finished some of the windfall apples in one tray and are having a good lick at the mineral/salt block afterward.

 

Jasper loves deer too!

Jasper loves the deer for another reason, look what he brought home from a walk in the woods recently.  This is why I have a washable sofa!

 

 

Seville

And I am working as hard and fast as I can trying to complete the model of  'Seville' to get it to Just Cross Stitch magazine by the October 15th deadline.  What do you think?  It is going to be made into a pillow.

 

I've been notified that another magazine in the UK is going to feature Log Cabin~Winter in their next issue.

 

I hope everybody is enjoying whatever stitching project you are working on right now, it is that time of year when it becomes even more enjoyable to pick up a needle whenever time permits.

Gracewood Stitches in Magazines & a Giveaway!

'Twilight' Christmas Ornament

It was my pleasure and honor to be invited to contribute a design to this year's Just Cross Stitch special Christmas Ornaments edition.  The magazine has just been released and is available at your local stores now.

 

 

Jam-packed ornament issue to ensure your Christmas tree is decked out this season!

Filled with 75 cross-stitch ornament patterns, this annual issue from Just CrossStitch magazine will bring instant Christmas cheer to your hearth and home. There are a multitude of unique and original designs, from Santas and angels to snowmen and birds.

Also included in this special edition:

• Designer biographies and memories from holidays past
• Recipes to share with your own family
• Ornaments suited for every decor and skill level
• Large charts for each pattern
• Full instructions for completing each ornament
• And much more!

 

My contribution, 'Twilight' was inspired by our beautiful winter evenings here in the northern Rockies.  I hope you'll pick up a copy of what has become a much anticipated edition each year.

 

Gracewoods is also being mentioned in the newest edition of New Stitches Cross Stitch magazine, a publication from the UK.  I have the summer edition of the magazine that I'll giveaway by a draw!

 

 

 

Just leave a comment below and tell me what your favorite colors are for your cross stitch projects.  I'll draw a name next week and ask the winner to contact me with their mailing information.

 

Stich on!!! :)

Finally Fall! & an Interruption

Hydrangeas Drying

Fall is a busy time and I am SO glad it has finally arrived.  Our mornings are extra blanket on the bed worthy and the afternoons are intoxicating with its longer shadows and soft breezes.  Our Annabelle hydrangeas outdid themselves with huge blooms this year and I've hung some to dry to decorate our house through the winter.

Teasing Georgia roses

The roses that give repeat blooms in the Fall are heavy with blooms that are always a bit deeper in color and richer in scent this time of year.

August was busy on Gracewood as Terry opened up a large area to the west of the yard, thinning out trees that were badly needing it, and now he is working on filling up the woodshed.  We also had family visit that we hadn't seen in more than 30 years!  It was good to see the next generation and share making some good new memories.

In the midst of all this I received a request from a magazine that wants to feature 'Seville' in a spring edition.  Which means I have to have the model stitched and to them by October 15th!  So I've had to break one of my rules, the one that I try never to stop one project to start another.  'Violette' has had to be put on hold.

Violette

It won't take long to finish it after I get 'Seville' off to the magazine next month. 

Seville

Thankfully, Seville is proving to be an easy and relatively fast stitch!  The magazine is going to make it into a pillow and I'll be looking forward to seeing it.

Now I'd better get stitchin :)

Jasper 'helping' gather hydrangeas for drying