Happy Anniversary And More: Squirrel Decor

Hello! Despite their tendency to raid my vegetable garden of cucumbers, zucchini and tomatoes, I still have a fondness for squirrels. I have a small collection devoted to this critter, which becomes the highlight of my fall decor. 

Therefore, it was perfect timing that my husband gifted me with this on our anniversary a couple of days ago:

A close-up of the print:

So cute, just like my four-legged pals outside. 

The print is from Berea, Kentucky, and in this post I discussed meeting the artist who created it. I had wanted to buy the print, dismissed that thought, and then later on regretted it.

But shortly after visiting the studio, my husband wanted to go off on his own. I was annoyed at the time because I'd wanted us to visit Berea College's farm market store together. Then I realized he probably wanted to take off to go back and buy that print for me as a future gift. 

And I was proven right, of course - though by the time my husband presented it to me, he forgot that I'd actually wanted it. He just remembered that it was a squirrel print and so I was bound to like it. Which I do!

It had come unframed, but that didn't bother me - as the print fits a 5x7 frame, I just headed to a thrift store and picked up a nice one for fifty cents. 

My now-framed squirrel print is currently on display near the tabletop feather tree in a corner of our dining room. This tree's decorations change with the seasons, so the summer theme has switched out to fall.  Three new stitched squirrel ornaments have been added this year:

Don't recall where this came from, maybe from a friend's pattern set. Simple embroidery. 

More simple stitchery, this time counted cross stitch from a vintage Christmas-themed counted cross stitch book. 

My favorite design of the three, from a vintage counted cross-stitch booklet. 

All three stitcheries were lightly stuffed and sewn with vintage fabric backings, then hung up with vintage brown-and-white crochet cotton cords. Easy to stitch and turn into ornaments. 

For now, I have one more squirrel counted cross-stitch design to make, from yet another vintage booklet. Like the sources of the two counted cross-stitch designs above, the latest find was from a thrift store. 

And as inexpensive as counted cross-stitch books and booklets are at thrift stores, I can afford to buy any with squirrel designs that I see. You might not think there'd be such a variety of  squirrel designs to stitch up - but obviously I'm not the only one fond of squirrels out there!