Happy Halloween!

I thought you'd like to see the October vignette I've currently arranged on my mantle, to celebrate the colors of the season. My HAPPY HALLOWEEN design still brings a grin to my face, with all its colorful Halloween motifs. (I keep meaning to get around to designing a Christmas version of this, but haven't had the time to do it yet - sigh....maybe next year...)

And yes, that's a Jim Shore pumpkin nutcracker, that I bought many years ago at one of the quilt & craft shows I used to go to with my stitchery booth. I'd never seen a pumpkin nutcracker before and just had to have it 'cuz it was so unusual! Perfect for the season, huh?!?

Anyway, don't eat too many candy corns....and have a spook-tacular Halloween!

Friday Flowers: October's Colors

Here are a few snapshots of the leaves and pumpkins around my house....
There's nothing so cheery on a grey Octobery day like a few bright orange pumpkins or some fiery gold leaves waving from the trees:







Even the dreaded Poison Oak is pretty in the fall (as long as you don't get too close):



Hope your Halloween weekend is a colorful and safe one!

Friday Flowers: Purple, Pink & Orange

There's something about this purple, pink & orange color combination that fascinates me. It's very happy... very festive... and very autumnal as well.

Here are some flower pictures I've taken around my yard and beyond that show off this color palette. Enjoy this October bouquet of dahlias, chrysanthemums, black-eyed susans, zinnias, tiger lilies, and just a peek of a pumpkin!











HAPPY WEEKEND!

Happy, Happy, Happy!

I'm pleased to report that the new quilt design I showed you a while back - RED HOT PEPPERS - is now done! I had so much fun stitching on this happy piece; I don't know if it was the funky design or the playful colors, but it was a delight to stitch up and I finished it inside of a week. Woo Hoo!


It's a larger quilt piece: 10" by 10" on 18 ct. mono canvas (I used eggshell), but it worked up fast. I know that the inner section looks very busy, but when you step back from the piece it looks like some sort of celebration's going on with Confetti! Pinata Goodies! Hot Tamale Candy! Mardi Gras Jewelry! There's a happy party going on here!! And though you can't see it in the photo, there are red and gold metallics glinting all over the piece. Very festive, let me tell you!

I was also inspired to design a matching ornament (a smaller design about 4.5" x 4.5") that can be stitched in coordinating colors or an entirely different palette - it's your choice. And while I was stitching on this red and yellow version, my mind's eye also saw it done with bright oranges instead of the reds - to make a fun Halloween piece - so I've included an orange colorway on the pattern, too.

There are no difficult stitches in this piece; it's all done with Diagonal Satin Stitches of varying lengths. Here's a close-up of the design to show you how easy it really is:


The only different stitch is the "long triangle" I invented to create the hot pepper border. I'm pleased with the look of this long triangle and plan to use it in future quilts, just to have something new to work with.

So if you're looking for something fresh and fun and EASY to stitch up in-between long, hard stitching projects, you might like to try my RED HOT PEPPERS! Please visit my website (shown on the list at the right) for more detailed information.

Something Totally New and Exciting

I've been thinking about developing my own cyber classes for quite a while now. I suspect there must be quite a lot of stitchers like me out there: stitchers who LOVE stitching new projects but HATE the idea of packing everything up and travelling away from home (for a variety of economic, domestic, and logistical reasons that we all can relate to.) And now, thanks to the wonderful techno-marvelous society we live in, what better way to experience the best of both worlds - stitching AND staying home in your comfy chair - than by taking a cyber class....

Soooooo, my stitchy friends, the time has come to announce the very first Laura J. Perin Designs Cyber Class offering:


TA DA!!
It's called "CORSAGE".

It's an 8.5" x 8.5" piece done on Santa Fe green 18 ct. mono canvas. I've created six different colorways that the stitcher can choose from: blue (shown above), pink (shown below), purple, turquoise, orange, and red.

Since one of the main things I enjoy most about stitching is making personal choices in everything I stitch, I want to provide that same design fun for the stitchers who sign up for this class. As the project unfolds, stitchers will have several choices to make to personalize their piece. One of the big choices will be deciding which flower to put in the middle box - either a gardenia (shown above) or a dogwood (shown below). (And if you should decide to do your flower in a color other than ecru the flower becomes a rose or camillia - is that magical or what?!?)


Anyway, the Cyber Class registration period runs from October 16th to November 30th of 2010. The class will start on January 15, 2011 (after all the holiday hoopla has died down and stitchers are ready to get back to stitching in the new year). I expect the class to run about 4 to 6 weeks, with email "lessons" every week.

For more information, and all the particulars about my new "Corsage" Cyber Class, please visit the new LJP Cyber Class page on my website by clicking on the LAURA J. PERIN DESIGNS title listed on the right.

Frilly, Frothy Friday Flowers

Okay, say that title fast three times -- I dare ya!!

These are photos I've taken this summer of just a few of the many crape myrtles that were blooming around my neighborhood. I couldn't get over how many different pinks and purples that popped up all over the place - in trees and bushes all over Cloverdale -- it was quite a colorful display!


It was hard to take any "dramatic" shots of individual flowers, since each mass was made of of hundreds of frilly little flower cups like this:


And doesn't this frilly hot pink number look like something Carmen Miranda would have worn off her shoulders??


But en masse these crape myrtles really look lovely against a lush green summer landscape: