Trick or Treat

Always loved trick-or-treating at the house where the lady in a witch hat

dropped a full-size candy bar in your treat bag!

I disguise mine as mummies

Happy Hauntings!

or as Alexis at Jac o' lyn Murphy dubbed me until November 1st ...

"witchfork"

Nevermore

The Ravens are winging their way to Baltimore

'raven'ous or ravenous??

Halloween? Just hungry?  An avid fan of the Baltimore Ravens?

Or love to read the works of Edgar Allen Poe?

embroidered raven-themed apron

thread as art

Edgar Allan Poe's classic "The Raven"



The Raven filled with stitched verses

Edgar Allen Poe (January, 19, 1809 - October 7, 1849) was an American writer and poet best known for his tales of mystery and macabre.

Poe is buried in Baltimore, Maryland, a town I visit often.  The circumstances and cause of his death remain uncertain.  The bar in which legend says Poe was last seen drinking before his death still stands in the Fells Point area of Baltimore.  Now known as The Horse You Came In On Saloon, local lore insists that a ghost they call "Edgar" haunts the rooms above.

Adding to the mystery surrounding Poe's death, an unknown visitor affectionately referred to as the Poe Toaster, paid homage to Poe's grave annually beginning in 1949.  As the tradition carried on for more than sixty years, it's likely that the Poe Toaster was actually several individuals, though the tribute was always the same.  Every January 19, in the early hours of the morning, the person made a toast of cognac to Poe's original grave marker and left three roses.  Members of the Edgar Allan Poe Society in Baltimore helped to protect this tradition for decades. 

For the first year since 1949, the Poe Toaster did not appear on January 19, 2010, leading to speculation that the Toaster himself may have passed on. 

Wonder if he will return on January 19, 2011?

Baltimore, Maryland


Or, as The Raven said..."Nevermore"... 





Custom Monogram Giveaway

Jen at Hope Studios graciously put me in her spotlight today

on her weekly Tutorial Tuesday event.

Stitchfork is offering a custom monogrammed tote to a

lucky winner who follows my blog!

Winner will be chosen by a random drawing.

Details at Hope Studios blog

Thanks Jen!

Monogram Choices

K.M.S chose her fonts

K.M.S chose her color

but she could not chose which design

this one?

or this one?

So K.M.S did the only sensible thing...

she chose BOTH!

bewitched

bewitched

becharm, beguile, captivate, capture, cast a spell on, catch, charm, enamor, enamour, enchant, engage, enrapture, enthral, entrance, fascinate, glamour, hex, intrigue, jinx, magnetise, magnetize, mesmerise, mesmerize, put under a spell, spellbind, trance, witch

be - witch - ed

Mark Twain

The first of three volumes of the

 Autobiography of Mark Twain

is due for release next week.

Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835—1910), well known by his pen name

 Mark Twain, was a riverboat pilot, a journalist, and a failed

business man several times over. 

But he is best known as an American author and humorist.

Mark Twain spent his last years dictating an autobiography, then left

strict instructions that it remain unpublished until 100 years after

his death so that he would be “dead, and unaware, and indifferent.”

I’ll definitely be picking up a copy next week!

Oh, and the gent had a stellar monogram!

Mark Twain's monogram MT from the cover of his book The American Claimant

Book cover photo from barnesandnoble.com

Meliora

Meliora ~ Latin for Always Better

Just back from Meliora 2010

               

Where the leaves were flying

University of Rochester


                                     One of my guys was flying through the pool water
                

This bird flew in from Lake Ontario for the football game

But this bird flew out of my embroidery studio



Sandwitches and Ghoulash served here ~

“Double, double toil and trouble.”

Macbeth — William Shakespeare

“Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble.”

Disney’s version from the cartoon “Duck Tales”

Whichever version you prefer...

the witch’s brew will be well served on these placemats.

Helping Hands

Each time I walk into the kitchen I swear these hands have moved!

Really need to pack them up to ship out to the my college guys.

I do send them boxes of homemade goodies.

But I am also known for sending boxes of odd weird unique

 items to keep them guessing!

Oh, and my hat is now embroidered and ready to wear ~

wicked embroidered on veil netting

Dashing

Catching up on my mail after dashing around

some southern states for the past two weeks.

Catalogs filled with all things holiday ~

One of my favorite embroidery spots sent me a reminder ~

Sometimes it feels so rushed ~

Boo ~ eek ~ gobble gobble ~ ho ho ho!

Palmettos and Pecans

In South Carolina for a bit - The Palmetto State

(embroidered hostess gifts)

Always enjoyable is a walk through Park Seed Company gardens.

Park Seed, founded in 1868, is one of the oldest seed and garden companies.

 Beautiful gardens

and my eye is always drawn to the fence finials

Our place is built in an old pecan orchard.

That’s pronounced ‘pee-can’ as I am always told when 

I pronounce it incorrectly the ‘northern way’.

The pecan trees are loaded with the ripening nuts.

The elderly gentleman next door for years has been trying to capture and release the abundant squirrel population out back.  Bless his heart, it’s an utterly hopeless task as we do live among nut trees here.  I am always tempted to hang this sign from the Park Seed store out back.

Off to the store who’s name always makes me smile --