Have a Happy Halloween!

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I just wanted to wish everyone a happy and safe Halloween tomorrow. I will not be dressing up. The day totally sneaked up on me this year. I have been too busy preparing for the Christmas Market. AJ has opted to be an airplane this year. Not Optimus Prime, not Thomas the Train, not Spiderman... an airplane. Strange I know. I will post pictures of him in his adorable costume after tomorrow.

For now, here are a few of my favorite Halloween things I've seen around Blogland lately.

Source: etsy.com via Bonnie on Pinterest

Source: google.com via Bonnie on Pinterest

Source: farm5.static.flickr.com via Bonnie on Pinterest

Source: blog.betzwhite.com via Bonnie on Pinterest

Source: sassysanctuary.blogspot.com via Bonnie on Pinterest

Don't forget to check out my new Facebook Page! Have a great weekend!!

Update & Some News

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I miss my little blog! I have been working non-stop on making items for The Christmas Market. I fear I may not have enough merchandise on time. The event is in two weeks! Have any of you ever participated in a craft fair? How much would you say is enough? I feel like I'm running around in circles. I don't really know what to make or how much to make of each item!

I have been out of town this past week too. My hubby had a three day meeting in Corpus Christi and I tagged along. We went the whole weekend before too so we could enjoy some time together. I had fun taking lots of pictures with my new iPhone! Here is my favorite one.


This is my very first iPhone so it was kind of a big deal for me. But that's not the news I wanted to share with you.

Pink Stitches has finally opened up a Facebook Page. I'll be offering special giveaways, promotions and other cool stuff on there so please stop by and join me!


Hope you all are enjoying this beautiful Fall weather! These little guys wanted to say hello. I'll be back soon with a little sneak peek of what I have in store for the Christmas Market.

Happy Mail

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I received part 2 of my swap with Katie and I love everything! She made me a gorgeous houndstooth/rosette pillow, a birdie t-shirt and a pear mug rug. She's so sneaky. She had posted a picture of the pillow on her facebook, saying it was hers and ofcourse, I drooled all over it. Can you imagine my surprise when it came in the mail for ME??





Yeah, I stole all these pictures from Katie's blog. I haven't taken any of my own pics. I've really been dragging in that department. Do you notice all the handstitched goodness that she added? Those details always make me smile. I'm so happy to have met Katie 6 months ago when she won my very first giveaway. We've become great friends since then and I'm a happier person having her in my life! Thanks for all the goodies Katie!

And now I can finally post about the things I sent to Nicke a couple of weeks ago. I pretty much passed the swap deadline by like a month! I'm so bad! But I hope she liked all the goodies I sent her. I know she's a Hope Valley addict like me so that was my main focus.


Whoa, Bonnie! Is that Hope Valley stationary?? Why, yes it is!! I was totally oblivious of the fact that Denyse Schmidt made paper goods too. And now that I know, I'm obsessed! I got a set for Nicke and a set for myself.


The ruffle pouch is lined with Hope Valley scraps and is made with osnaburg (love!).


And the Hope Valley patchwork pouch has got to be my absolute favorite item ever! It has a magnetic closure and is lined with the same Kona Coal that I used on my Hope Valley quilt.


I also threw in some Joel Dewberry "Heirloom" FQ's. She had mentioned in one of her posts that this was her favorite colorway so I couldn't resist.


These swaps have been very enjoyable and have added so much delight to my days. I enjoy making things for my partners and I just love receiving packages in the mail. It makes ordinary days feel like Christmas! Speaking of which, are you looking forward to a Christmas swap??!

Living Room Makeover

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Awhile back, I had posted about wanting to do my own board and batten in my living room after I had finished AJ's room. I had also expressed my new fondness for the color grey and wanted to incorporate that in as well. We started working on it about three weeks ago and kept adding a little here and there between the weeks that my husband was away at work and my sewing marathons.

Here is what our dining room and living room looked like before:






The walls were dark and neutral. Everything was beige or brown. Not a speck of color or brightness. My living room has only one window and my dining room has a large patio sliding door along one side. There really isn't much lighting in this area. I wanted to lighten up the space and give it a shabby chic look. Here is what we ended up with.




I took out the middle wedge in my sectional and pushed the entire thing against the wall to create an open space. I took the wedge upstairs to my craft room.




For the board and batten, we painted four feet of the bottom of the wall with white Behr paint (eggshell finish, primer included). The top portion of the wall was a Behr grey paint we had mixed with primer to match Martha Stewart's Driftwood Grey color.

Next, we bought 16 feet pieces of thin, flat moulding and cut them up to 3'10" pieces. We painted them the same color white as the bottom of the walls and applied them to the walls about 3 feet apart using Moulding Glue. Then we chose an inexpensive chair rail moulding and cut the pieces to fit the walls right over the thin mouldings. We also added mouldings around the window and patio doors.


Our plan is to add some crown moulding in the next few weeks. We're in no rush. We redid these two room and painted the rest of the downstairs all for under $200.

Once we're done with everything, I'll share some more pictures of the rest of the walls and rooms. For now, I am really enjoying the fresh new look of it. It feels like I'm in a completely different home!

New Crayon Rolls

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I got a custom order last week for two crayon rolls (going to Australia!). I wanted to give my customer some options so I made four for her to choose from.





They have all been added to my shop! And there are more views there too.







This will pretty much be all that I will be adding to the shop for awhile. I am participating in my first craft fair, The Holly Jolly Christmas Market!! I signed up a little late so I only have about four and a half weeks to make all my goodies. That means I will probably be MIA for awhile but don't worry, I'll try to make a few stops along the way! Wish me luck!

Grocery Bags for Sis

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My sister, Vivian bought me fabric for me to make her some grocery bags about... a month ago. They immediately went to the bottom of my to-do pile. I was bored one day last week, so I decided I might as well get them over with (hehe!)


My sister's style is very simple and plain. I was actually surprised that she chose prints for these bags! But, the patterns actually do suit her.


It was her idea to add contrasting stitches to the handles. I ended up liking it!



They're cute bags but I still like mine better!



Thanks for being so patient with me lil sis!! Linking up to these fab parties.

Scrap Buster Fall Pillows

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I'm in love with my new fall pillows! Well one is for me and I made the other one for my cousin, who happens to share my fondness of fall and holidays in general. Since it was a birthday present, I let her have first pick. She chose the one on the left.


Hers has the orange polka dot backing. Mine has a soft green damask print. Both have envelope closures (easiest thing in the world to do!).


If you're interested in making some for yourself, I got the tutorial from here. The only difference in mine is that I made them 18" instead of 16". I just added two inches to all the measurements given.


Hope you all are enjoying FALL so far! Have a wonderful Thursday!!

Oh Em Gee!!

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I'm sure you all know that the very coveted Denyse Schmidt's "Flea Market Fancy" collection has been out of print for awhile. Well you may or may not know that it is being RERELEASED!!!



I.AM.SO.HAPPY!!!
There is some bad news though... Only 20 prints are being brought back. I don't care! I'll take what I can get! I've seen so many amazing projects using this line that have made me drool.

Like this patchwork Kindle Case from The Sometimes Crafter.



And who hasn't laid their eyes on Angela's beautiful quilt!?



Gawlee! I'm ever so excited! There's another item added to my ever growing Christmas Wish List!!

A Fall Quilt

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We have been enjoying the beautiful weather and rainy days around here lately. This past weekend, I started on a fall quilt using my Joel Dewberry "Heirloom" collection that I've conveniently been saving.


I kept telling myself that this fabric was too beautiful to cut into but I just loved looking at it so I said "Why not make a happy fall quilt out of it?". I used Cluck Cluck Sew's "Skipping Squares" pattern.


I finished the quilt top in two days! It uses 9" blocks in 8 rows of 6, equaling 48 blocks. Perfect size for a cozy throw on the couch.


This marks my third quilt and little by little, I am gaining more confidence. I am super excited to make a Christmas quilt! Any ideas on cute fabric lines I could use?

What's Better Than FREE??

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I finally got my free Fossil watch!! It took me forever to decide which color I wanted- there were so many fabulous choices. But in the end, I went with a color that I think would work all year round. TEAL.


I even love the little tin box it came in. I collect them :-)


If you bank with Wells Fargo, I recommend enrolling in their Rewards Program. That's how I got a $100 Fossil gift card that contributed to my beautiful new watch! Have a great evening!