One more down, one more to go...

...swaps, that is. My Fall themed swap with Denise (count it all joy blog) is completed. We each received our packages Friday. This is what arrived in my mailbox.

Isn't it wonderful?  Denise added some extra treasures, too. There is a fabric star ornament, a magnetic needle keeper, a decorative magnet, and some beaded wool head pins. So much to love! This was supposed to be a mug rug swap, but this is almost big enough to be a placemat. And I don't want to hide it under anything, so here is its home for the Fall season.

This little Shaker peg rack that hangs in my kitchen turned out to be the perfect spot to display Denise's handiwork. Love it!







So what did I send to Denise? You need to know that Denise has an October birthday, and my original intention had been to get her package to her in time for that. I had gathered some little birthday surprises--but with Mom's fall and subsequent issues, I couldn't seem to get the mug rug made.

 I finally spent a couple of late nights surfing the web, sketching, and stitching until my eyes wouldn't stay open. I even ended up sewing down the binding while playing my weekly Scrabble game with my Mom and two of my siblings--and I won the game while multi-tasking. :)

After the Scrabble game I was leaving Mom's house to head to the nearby post office, when I noticed  the red bushes at the church across the street where I had parked. I had to get a glamour shot.

This finished just over 6" square, which is still a bit big for a mug. Perhaps a Mug-&-A-Muffin rug would be a more accurate name.


I had found a Pumpkin cookbook for Denise, who is a lover of all things pumpkin, and a little set of Fall measuring spoons, that are probably more decorative than anything. But they have perfect wording on each one--Happy Fall, Y'all!
I added some soaps and favorite herbal teas, and a jolly jack-o-lantern notepad. Happy birthday, Denise (almost 2 weeks late), and Happy Fall.

The "one more to go" mentioned in the post title is a little quilt swap with Julie of Me and My Stitches blog, set for next month. If you know Julie's blog, you know about her amazingly tiny quilt block jewelry. She designs beautiful quilt patterns, as well. Why did I think this was a good idea, Julie? The pressure is setting in! :)

I want to share something with you that I found funny. Recently Pinterest has been sending emails with "18 ________Pins we thought you might like", or something similar (fill in the blank with any category you happen to pin with any frequency). Just over a week ago I received one where the subject line read "18 Mini Quilt pins to check out." I clicked on it and couldn't help laughing when I saw this.

The first five pins are from my own blog--and two more that you can't see in this screen shot were, as well. Ha Ha!


One last thing I want to share--with Ann's permission--there is a giveaway going on at her blog to celebrate her 250th blog post. I recently started following Ann's blog. She has made 3 sweet patchwork zippered bags that will go to some lucky people that leave a comment.

 I love zippered bags, but parted ways from installing zippers when I quit making clothing years ago. So I am always happy to have someone else do that dirty work for me. Take a minute to hop over to Ann's blog, Prairie Primrose Stitches, for a chance to win.

It is almost midnight on Saturday, and I am hoping to catch a glimpse of the Orionid Meteor shower, if the clouds have parted. Think I will grab a quilt or two and go out on the deck to check it out.
Until next time,
Janet O.

p.s. Thanks to all who added their thoughts and prayers in my Mom's behalf. She is doing much better, though the hip she landed on in her fall 2 weeks ago is still very painful.