The Snowflower Diaries

The Snowflower Diaries

Going back through some old posts I ran across this site and took another look. All sorts of freebies including her 2016 Joyful World series of monthly charts featuring various animals large and small and birds such as flamingos and ducks with floral sides. Each design is 99w x 73h and can be assembled into one large work. Dimensions given after the January chart. Each month has been translated into 7 or more different languages, many I can't even guess at. :D Various other freebies also featured in the left column. Nice site. She also has an Esty shop with other designs.

Pam Kellog Small Freebies

Bird On Apple and others on her blog at 

http://kittyandmedesigns.blogspot.com/  

Also beautiful patriotic eagle and Autumn Cat blackwork.

Finished Halloween Biscornu Freebie

I just discovered a Korean website that has posted several photos of my Halloween Biscornu design along with the chart, but thankfully giving me credit and a link back.  I've never seen it stitched and it's REALLY CUTE (giving self pat on back!)  You can visit the page here.  I translated the page, but I never did see a "contact" link so I could ask permission to use a couple of the photos. If you find one, please let me know! Also, if anyone is interested, I can change the year to 2015. :D

More Prairie Schooler Stitching

Where There Are Bees

Prairie Schooler Bk 194

Fabric: 16ct White Aida

Size: 2-7/8" x 2-15/16"

Floss: DMC as charted - 2 strands

Stitching Competed: April 2014

(The scanned and digitized colors are MUCH brighter than the rather subdued

pallet this chart and Rabbit Run both call for)

 Prairie Schooler MiniCard Pack E

Fabric: 16ct White Aida
Sizes: 2" x 2-1/2" and 1-3/4" x 2-3/4"

Floss: DMC 3371 and a brighter orange than charted

Stitching Completed March 2014

Actually, Halloween stitching is something I don't particularly care f or, so these are for my Daughter.  Last year she added a new tree to her 12+ decorated Christmas Tree ensemble: It's Orange, which she decorated with hot pink and black ornaments. I figure she can add these Halloween Ornies to the black ones for Halloween, which she loves to decorate for as well. Not my style but it suits her. :D  In addition to a traditional Christmas Tree, she has a Shoe Tree, a Santa Clause Tree, a tree with red ornies, a tree with mostly blue ornies, her largest tree is in white with white, clear, crystal or silver ornaments. etc.  After a couple of decades she removed all the 1" or 1-1/2: cross stitched ornies I made for her dorm room a couple of decards ago. She's replaced them with little snowmen. Must admit that after she left home, I don't specifically decorate for Christmas, which is why she has all the clear and crystal like ornies. :D

Halloween Biscornu Freebie - 2013 Update

Copyright 2011-2013 LMc Designs / Bits of Floss
All Rights Reserved

See the original design and charts HERE

New Prairie Schooler Freebie Finish

July 2013 Freebie - Used a lighter orange since the charted DMC was the same color as fabric added a bit to the windows, and that's supposed to be a free-stitch "bat" hanging from the roof on the right. Wish the true colors would post. For my DD.

After 30 minutes I managed to scan and finally find this one .jpg. When I tried to scan the progress on my grape wreath project the program and my computer froze - AGAIN!!  At least this time I didn't have do to a hard shut down to get the frozen scan program to FINALLY end! But after 5 minutes I was just about to.

Witches and Goblins and Ghosts; OH MY, The Potential Liability!

I haven't participated at all in Halloween activities in at least 15 years, despite the fact I did a couple of designs recently. 1) My DD, my costumed TrickRTreeterGreeter, moved out 21 years ago; 2) There have never been many children come round - last year only a couple were out and about; 3 & 4) A whine:  I'm allergic to chocolate and can't eat sugar so having mostly full bags of leftovers around is just too tempting to resist; and 5) Premises liability issues - I have cracks in my driveway that even I trip over on occasion - read ## below if you are interested or for your horrified amusement. [Being a lawyer often takes the fun out of otherwise entertaining activities.] Sad to say, but I park my car at an angle to block the drive, don't turn on my porch light and keep the inside dark as possible. Or I find somewhere else to be for a while. Of course, had I young children or a grandchild, I would get back into the ghoulish swing of things - elsewhere.

OTOH, My DD goes beyond the ghostly pale when it comes to Halloween. She has had

the occasional a costume party with decorated house, and for years has set up increasingly more elaborate spooky displays in her front yard. This year they added dead groom sitting next to dead bride in coffin on the porch, created more spider webs to drape from eaves and trees, upgraded the graves scattered throughout the yard, and likely added more scary noises/music, etc. The last 2 years she and her DH were Zombie Wilma and Fred. This year it's Mr. & Mrs. Frankenstein - full make-up, of course. The resultant increased vehicular traffic has encouraged other neighbors to join in.

## Promised really spooky legal stuff:  [Appears to me that when it comes to Halloween, the level of  duty and responsibility owed to Trick-or-Treaters falls somewhere between the highest and this slightly

lesser level. We call this, appropriately, a "grey area."]  A person (that's them) who enters the premises (your yard and/or abode) with the landowner's (that's you) express or implied permission (you decorated your house/yard, turned on your porch light, sent out an invitation, didn't stop a crasher at the door, etc.) for his or her own purposes (to acquire candy, free booze, etc.) rather than the landowner's benefit (unless you are deliberately luring them there a la Hanzel and Gretl or Hannibal Lecter), such as a social guest (the fairy, the pirate, the sexy French maid, et al), is called a licensee. An owner or occupier of land (you) has a duty to warn a licensee (them) of a dangerous condition that creates an unreasonable risk of harm (they might hurt themselves) if it is known (or should  have been known) to the owner or occupier (you again) and not likely to be discovered (seen, spotted, knew in advance about) by the licensee (them again). (One assumes this means you must need bull horn specific warnings from the porch before they step in your yard or put up brightly lit fluorescent yellow or orange signs in both pictographs and text, or include a Caveat, in bold at least 10 point typeface, in your invitation.) There is no duty to inspect for defects or to fix known defects. (That's good news, but I wouldn't bet my life savings on it, and you aren't completely off the hook since you can still get sued, which costs you $$, even if you win ...) The owner or occupier (ah ... yes, still  you) does have a duty to exercise reasonable care in the conduct of active operations (encouraging said fairy, pirate, sexy French maid, et al to come into your yard and up to the door and perhaps inside for a party, etc) to protect a licensee (yes, still them)  [whom you] know is on the property. (You don't have to go out looking - but I wouldn't depend on that actually "knew" defense working for Halloween when that "should have known" is hanging out there.) HOWEVER, (and this is for real, well so is the above but this adds another aged witchy wrinkle), an even higher duty of discovery and notice of hazards and care is due to children who can't fully recognize nor appreciate a possible a hazard or dangerous situation, and then there are those DWI Dram Shop laws that can sometimes be extended to hold the individual supplying the booze liable. And for the record: NO, my DD doesn't listen to me either.

Nonetheless, I sincerely wish those of you who do enjoy getting into costume and decorating in black, orange and purple, a wonderful Bubble, Bubble Toil & Trouble Day!

Here's a FUN and generic "Trick-or-Treat  Liability and Indemnification Agreement" to possibly make sure the hand and mouth you put the candy in doesn't come back to bite you. Imagine the screams of horror and the jagged tooth rictus on your teen and adult visitors' faces when you won't let them snatch at the goodies or through your door until and unless they sign it - in advance. Hey, Halloween might be still be fun after all!

Bits of Floss: Halloween Biscornu Freebie

HAPPY  HALLOWEEN  STITCHING

Size:  44w x 44h
Approximate finished size:   25ct: 3-1/2"    28ct: 3-1/8"    32ct: 2-3/4"

• Read all instructions first
• Copy / Paste to save this information
• CLICK on picture/chart to enlarge, then "save as" or "copy/paste"
• Try printing in LANDSCAPE first.
• Suggested fabric: 25ct, 28ct or 32ct evenweave - Not particularly suitable for aida
• DMC or your favorite other threads, fibers or overdyes
• CLICK HERE  or  HERE  for instructions on making a BISCORNU. READ BEFORE YOU CUT YOUR FABRIC AND BEGIN STITCHING
• Rather than a Biscornu, these make a perfectly good ornament as well - or 2 of them.
• For Instructions on stitching Algerian Eye and the 1/2 Diamond Eyelet, see this site.  For the 1/2 Diamond Eyelet as charted, only stitch half. 
• I would dearly love to see your finish. I'll post a photo of yours in the "Gallery!"
• If you run into any issues, please let me know immediately

    HAPPY HALLOWEEN STITCHING - LindaMc - Bits of Floss    

"Hanging 30" - New LMc Designs/Bits of Floss Freebie (w/update)

For Bronny and others I promised a Halloween Design last year. 

Click on image, then "save as."

Please read Copyright information on the right.

NOTE: After I converted the chart with key to a .jpg, I decided the cat looks better stitched 1 square to the right, as shown in the color picture. Your comments would be greatly appreciated

FRIDAY UPDATE: Never one to leave well-enough alone, this is an almost square version at 58x55 with the hanging 20 guy already shifted 1 square to the right.

Thanks and Enjoy - LindaMc

New Prairie Schoolers & 2011 Annual Santa Have Been Released

Click on title to access the Prairie Schooler website for photo:

• Bk # 172: Christmas Favorites - with blackwork corners
• Bk # 173: September - 10th in the series of months (Daffodils is the March entry)
• Bk # 174: Cats, Bats & Witches - companion to previous Halloween releases
• Bk # 175: Santa's Night - Santa in sleigh - stitched sample on black
• 2011 Limited Edition Kit
• Minicard Collection - NEW! 3 different collections of minicards from past years - these won't last long
• Online Minicard Freebie - 2009 Christmas Tree

I purchased Bk #172- September (which will be stitched with a different verse) and the Annual Santa.  If you don't care for the hunter "sportsman" the smaller design has the man holding a basket [designed to fit the same space on the large design]. Note the squirrel bombarding the hunter with apples! I may reverse or rearrange the animals at the bottom so that it looks like the dog is running away from or being chased by them. :D

I talked with Nancy earlier today who says the minicards were some that they had left over from years past. They've never done this before and are unsure how well the sets will sell (I assured her probably VERY WELL), and that when the minicards are gone, they are gone!

Post Halloween Freebie

Jack takes a well-deserved beach break!!

Size: 34w x 43h
14 ct: 2-3/8 x 3 inches

Click here for chart. All downloads are subject to the copyright information on the right.