Original Designs by Paulette Stewart
In addition to HallowEden, I've got another new release coming out at the online Needlework Show. It's called Miss Lucian's School for Girls, Lesson One. There will be more in this series, but they need to be designed first!
The Needlework Show starts on October 21st and runs through the 26th. If you see something you'd like, just inform your shopowner and if they're registered to "attend" the show, they'll place your order. Easy!
… From painting shoes! I've painted my last pair (which makes a whopping total of 2 pairs), and I'm officially retiring from it now. 🙂 When Bre saw Bean's shoes last week, she decided to present me with her own blank footware – complete with an enormous, cheesy grin on her face.
After stammering a bit, I agreed to paint them. Here they are after being given the Sharpie-treatment.. Breanna's ink bled just a bit more than Sabrina's did, probably bc of the larger canvas weave (for lack of a better thing to call it). So if you decide to paint your own, be sure to get a finer "weave" when it comes to the canvas.
I used just a few sizes of flat and round brushes (between the two sets, I spent around $8) and the cheapest acrylic paints I could find. The point is not to try to get it perfect, but just to "scribble in" the paint, giving it more of a cartoon feel. If you do go outside the lines, simply wait for the paint to dry and re-draw the line with your Sharpie pen.
I didn't use any sort of fabric medium (which is designed to make the paint go on more smoothly when working with clothing) bc I didn't need it to. I was working in tiny spaces, and I mostly just stippled the paint onto the shoes, rather than brushing it on.
This is as fun – or stressful – of a project as you want it to be! If you decide that you're going to have fun with it, then you'll most likely love your shoes in the end. But if you worry about how they're going to look bc you messed up here or there, it defeats the purpose of having a pair of shoes that no one else has. 😉
You don't need a whole arsenal of paints, either. I bought 5 small bottles and when I needed a color, I went to mixing! For example, the light green squares on the top of the right shoe were made by combining a little turquoise and a little yellow.
And there you have it!
It really is a fun project to do, but the reason I'm going into retirement from it is bc I have way too many hobbies already. And besides, I can't paint with one hand and drink coffee with the other.
Or can I?
Bean turned 17 on Tuesday, and after school she got to open her presents and have her boo stop by. (For those of you who aren't current on teeny-bopper lingo, "boo" means "beau." So now, when you're listening to the top 40 on the radio, you'll feel really dope when you know what boo means.)
Here's what Boo brought Bean:
There were TWO DOZEN of these beauties! I was floored!
Her dad got her a brand new cell phone that does everything from her schoolwork (so she doesn't have to) to remotely switching President Obama's radio station (so he doesn't accidentally say things like "boo"). He also got her some other really cool things (and he even let me say they were from me, too, bc all I did was give birth to her, which is lame) like an Urban Outfitters gift card and some makeup from Sephora…
There he is, holding the lip gloss he picked out all by himself (after calling me about what colors of "eye junk and stuff" to get), as well as a foundation brush that he said "was the brush to beat all brushes." He was very proud of himself for walking into Sephora, knowing what to ask for. What he doesn't realize is that sometimes people wonder about burly men who walk into Sophora, knowing what to ask for.
Nate was watching the gift-unwrapping from afar, so Friday kept him company…
Here is Bean, reading her annual letter from her Dad…
Sophie got her some Bath and Body Works products (her favorite thing to give to people!) and created a birthday masterpiece with her Mr. Sketch markers…
Even though Nate was getting ready to take Bean out to dinner and to a movie, we decided to spoil their appetites with cake and ice cream first…
And then, before they left, Nate played his guitar and sang beautifully to her – and to Sophie, who loves to hear him sing and play as much as I do. (I think, however, that Sophie is secretly studying his talents to see if he will be worthy of singing backup for her one day.)
After their date, Bean's friends had a surprise birthday party for her at the home of one of her best friends, where she was crowned with a tiara and given lots of fun gifts. She had absolutely no idea this was coming, since the plan was to "hang out" as usual. 🙂
I'm so happy my Bean had a fun day… although I do still owe her a birthday frappuccino, as I'd promised. And I'm very thankful that she has such good friends who made her day special.
And thank you to all of you! It was so sweet of you to leave her best birthday wishes on Tuesday, and she got a kick out of reading them. 🙂
My sweet Bean's birthday is today. This baby girl – straight from the Lord's Hand – has grown from a precious, thumb-sucking sprout into the perfect blessing of a kindhearted young woman. I'm so proud that she's not only my daughter, but my friend.
I love you, Bean. Happy Birthday.
Here's one I'll be releasing at the upcoming online Needlework Show, which is October 21-26. It's called HallowEden, and the chart will include the option of making it slightly more Halloween-themed, if you so choose.
Thank you to The Family Tree Frame Co. for providing the awesome frame (which reminded me of apples, which inspired me to design another A&E!), Crescent Colours for the cotton fibers, and Lakeside Linens for the gorgeous Vintage River Willow linen!
P.S. The sampler sitting under the cup of hot apple cider (posted on Oct. 1) was this one. 🙂
Well here I had a video all ready to show to you of the dogs announcing the winner, but I can't find my movie-making software! :( At any rate, I had so much fun reading everyone's comments about their dogs (and cats!).. and we have a winner!
VANESSA!! Vanessa has 3 cats and a "schnauzer who channels Satan." Oh my, my… I'm so sorry to hear this, Vanessa. I can definitely relate, bc when The Yorkie starts her screeching, my head starts spinning around in 360's, and then Mike has to call in the local exorcist.
Anyway, congratulations, Vanessa! Email me!
And thank you to everyone!
Many many many days (weeks?) ago, my Sabrina bought a pair of plain white canvas zip shoes that she begged me to paint for her.
"What do you want painted on them?" I inquired.
"Oh, I don't care – just paint something!" she replied.
They sat on top of the dryer for ages, and every so often she'd say, "Mom, I thought you were going to paint my shoes? Pretty soon I won't be able to wear them…"
Sighhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Sweet-face guilt trip.
So today I picked them up and decided to paint them. I hauled all of the acrylic paints up from the dungeon basement and found that most of them had dried. I also found that I hadn't properly cleaned my brushes the last time I used them, which rendered them useless. So off I went to Hobby Lobby and purchased new brushes and new acrylics. Then I grabbed my Sharpie and got to work…
Who knew Olga would show up? And what is she drinking??
I really hope Sabrina didn't have something else in mind, like just a solid color. Cuz then I think I'd join Olga in her imbibition.
Yesterday I got a completely fur-brained idea that I'd try to get a fall photo of the dogs together, all sitting on my front porch.
This was a complete fiasco.
When I opened the front door and called for them, they immediately obeyed, and the raucus sound of 12 clawed paws stampeding across the kitchen floor was enough to make me want to change my mind and just photograph the quiet pumpkins instead. Nevertheless, I pressed on, willing myself to be patient with the beasts, knowing they were just thrilled to death that I was allowing them out in the front of the house instead of out back.
I let them get some of the wiggles out by running from driveway to driveway, sniffing what they may, and I called them back. They all ran up onto the porch like good little hounds, but that's when the trouble began…
"Friday, sit!" Friday sat, but Tasha jumped up to nip at him bc he was being a brown-noser.
"Tasha, stop!" Tasha stopped, but Missy lunged at her neck, growling like Cujo bc I had spoken to Tasha and not to her.
"Missy, quit!" Missy quit, but Friday got nervous that he was still sitting and hadn't gotten a treat for it, so he got up to sniff at Missy.
"No, Friday, sit!" Friday sat, but Missy again lunged for Tasha's neck, growling like Cujo bc I spoke to Friday instead of to her.
"Missy, that's enough!" Missy looked at me adoringly, but Tasha jumped up and tried to nip Friday bc he was being too compliant and refuses to get in touch with his inner samurai, as she has done.
It was then that I got the idea to get their favorite treats: Wheat Thins. I opened the door to go back inside to fetch them, and all the dogs came running in after me. When I tried to lure them back outside, only one at a time would follow me, darting out onto the porch, but then running back inside, hoping I'd follow them so they could eat their treats inside the house. Back and forth, back and forth we went, trying to convince each other that inside or outside was better, and I finally gave up and decided to just take each of their photos as they'd come to the door.
Mind you, with each photo I'd have to dole out a Wheat Thin, and then the next pooch would take their place…
Next.
Next.
(She would die of embarrassment if she knew her face was that dirty.)
The sun was quite bright on one spot of the porch…
If you haven't already gotten the Boris chart, I'd like to give one away! I'll also include a couple of treats for your pooch! Just leave a comment IN THIS POST, and I'll announce a winner on Saturday.
In the mean time, I'm going to go photograph the quiet pumpkins.
I love my dad. I think he's the best dad in the whole world.
One of my fondest memories from my childhood is when my dad would come home from work and I'd hide under his desk, waiting for him to spot me. I always thought my hiding spot was very original.
When he spotted me, he'd walk out of the room.
?
Somehow, I thought that was going to be a fond memory.
Now this one is a fond memory… I always knew I could ask my dad for anything. So when I had trouble with homework, I knew he'd be willing to help me. I remember many nights, approaching him at his desk and saying something like, "Hey, Dad? Can you help me with my homework?"
"What do you need help with?" he'd ask.
"Um, well, I can't figure out what 4 x 4 is."
"Well what is it?"
"Um, well… um… 16?"
"Is it?"
"Um, well… yes?"
"Okay then."
After blinking a couple of times, I'd leave, not sure if I should be relieved that the problem was done or confused by all the questions.
?
Now that I've thought over that memory, all I can do is blink a couple of times.
I've told this one before, but maybe it was the time he was watering the lawn with the jet-sprayer, and I ran up to him, screaming like a kid with rabies bc my feet were covered in ants from a nest I'd just stepped in. As I jumped up and down, wild-eyed and foaming at the mouth, pleading with him to help me, he looked at me and wondered why no one had ever fully explained the birds and the bees to him and simply turned the jet-sprayer on me, soaking my shoes through. Then, without a word, he went back to watering the lawn, and I left, hiccuping my tears back and wondering if he'd been honest about 4 x 4 being 16.
All kidding aside (although all of those stories are true), my brother and sister and I love our dad with all our hearts. He has always been our ideal of what a God-given father should be. He has loved our mother with all his heart, and our family is extremely close-knit bc of his devotion to God and to us.
I brought him a pear cobbler today, bc it's his favorite dessert. He had come home from work for lunch, so I took a few pictures of him while I was visiting. I always found my dad to be very handsome when I was little, and that hasn't changed.
Come on, Mom, stop hiding…
A very happy birthday to you, Dad. I love you.
Last week I had the task of dog-sitting my parents' hound, Major, while my parents were visiting the rest of our family out of state. Before leaving town, my mother had made sure to pull out all the autumnal stops, and when I turned the key and walked through my parents' door, I was immediately greeted by the familiar smell of home – warm vanilla and caramel and apples. My parents' home always smells the same (delicious!), and the way my mother decorates for the season is so cozy, no one ever wants to leave!
So I got it in my head that I, too, wanted to decorate for autumn, and promptly headed to Hobby Lobby. I mostly wanted a new centerpiece for my dinette table, but since I am very much centerpiece-challenged, this endeavor proved most difficult for me. "I wish I could just put things somewhere, and make them work like my mom does!" I thought. Seriously, my mom could scrape a dead racoon off the street and turn it into the most astounding, beautiful floral arrangement you've ever seen.
Not that she'd go anywhere near a dead racoon. Or the street, for that matter, since she's always home quilting or stitching or working or texting my dad to say that she's pretty sure he wants Arby's for dinner.
Anyway, when I was perusing the aisles in Hobby Lobby, I finally decided to stop over-thinking everything, and just BUY something already. I have a tendency to walk around the store with something I love, and then by the time I'm finished walking the store, I've thought up 35 different reasons why I shouldn't buy it, and I end up leaving empty-handed. I was determined this was not going to be the case this time, and I ended up purchasing a 3-tiered stand that I honestly had no clue what to do with. "But it looks like something my mom would buy," I thought. So I bought it.
As I drove home, I began thinking about what my mom would put on it, and then my buyer's remorse started turning into something a little happier… Here's what I ended up with, and I really like it!
As a matter of fact, I liked it so well, I took pictures from every angle!
After I was finished with the table, I moved on to the rest of the house. I decided I would decorate with all the Halloween models that were collecting dust in my dungeon basement. I had to do some rummaging bc they're all stuffed away in boxes, but I managed to find quite a few and got them upstairs.
Grim Gourds in the entryway…
Dead Man's Chess over the fireplace, next to Halloween Hornbook and Salem Sisters…
Here's mean old Emma Nettles…
And here's the next tombie sampler subject, watching me decorate…
Here's Ghoul, right behind one of The Boney Bunch figures from Yankee Candle…
Btw, this is the newest addition to my Boney Bunch figures (truth be told, I only have 3 of them), standing in front of Garden of Eerie…
Amos Figg… (his wife, Tillie, is hanging just above)…
(Btw, Mom got me hooked on these holiday candles by Bath and Body Works. This is one of my favorites! I also purchased a few more in Christmas scents, but I'll wait for the weather to turn brittle before I light them.)
I even placed a couple samplers in the bathroom. I thought Mehitable's epitaph was fitting for the back of the toilet…
(There's my first Boney Bunch figure, above, gifted to me by my mom as a fall present a few years ago!)
And here is Salem Sisters II on the wall nearest the sink…
Sophie loves the seasonal towels in my parents' bathrooms, so I decided to surprise her with one…
However, she decided to hang it on top of the crown towel my friend Chris got for me, which almost got the little Halloween towel returned to the store. 😉 Just kidding, Sophie!
Finally, here's one of the Blackbird Designs ornaments I stitched a few years ago to hang on my wire tree in the entryway. I have a few of them, and I love them all! (Who doesn't love Blackbird Designs?)
I had so much fun decorating this year! The pumpkins are on the front porch, the mums are blooming their burgundy best, and I even hung my Thimbleberries quilted pumpkin doorhanger on the front door. I can't wait for Sophie to start bringing home her artwork from school… the days of fingerpainting projects are gone, sadly, but I'm sure she'll have a new school masterpiece for the refrigerator this year. 🙂
I'm sure Mom would be proud of my fall decorating this year. I had fun with it, just like she always seems to. As a matter of fact, the only time I didn't see her having fun with decorating was when I was very little, and I'd bring home my school masterpieces.
But that's what my therapist is for.
Happy Decorating!
P.S. My sister got into the season, too!