Look what I made today

I got this idea from a craft book by Charlotte Lyons. I cut out two hearts from a shirt box, paper mache'd them together and then glued on the decorative paper and added the ribbon. I'm amazed how easy to was.

Sweet as the Flower freebie

Now that Christmas is over, I thought I'd post a freebie that would be great to give someone for Valentine's Day. I charted it for Gentle Arts threads. The red is Antique Rose, the green is Dried Thyme and the brown is Apple Cider. I charted it for Sand linen 32 count which makes it 3 x 3 1/2 inches. Enjoy!

Japanese Dolls

For Christmas we spent part of the day with my sister-in-law and her family and my mother-in-law in Mesa. My mother-in-law gave my daughter a very special present this year, some Japanese dolls she brought back from Japan after spending a year there in 1953. My daughter seems to be the grandchild carrying on her love of Japan and will be spending a month there in July.

May Peace and Joy be with you this Christmas season.
I thought I'd post a few vintage nativity postcard images for your enjoyment. Merry Christmas.

And a bowl full o' elves...

Each year I change around my Christmas decor and this year I put many of my vintage Christmas pieces on the mantle. Above are some Christmas girls from the late '50's. One is a bell and the other a candle holder.

My entry way always remains the same with stuffed snowmen and a garland on the bannister full of snowman ornaments.
These are some vintage snowmen salt and pepper shakers. The santa and sleigh behind them are one of the few pieces left from my childhood as is the gold pixie/elf. I received that from a friend back in 2nd grade and it started my collection of Christmas pixies/elves as seen below in what I call my "bowl full o' elves". The big guy in the center is named Leonard and is quite a bully with the smaller elves.
I've had the white elves for a while and was thrilled to find the big pixie with the polka dotted suit a few months ago. He fit right in.
Have a Merry Christmas everyone.

Lizzie Kate's Blessings of Christmas

I've been neglecting my poor blog lately but thought this was a good time to post the Lizzie Kate Blessings of Christmas designs that my friend Lorraine and I stitched and finished for The Attic Needlework's breast cancer charity auction. She stitched six and I stitched six. The auction was a few weeks ago and the ornaments brought a total of $435.

The tree is up...

Seems to have taken forever this year to get our tree up, we still have ornaments to add but I snapped a quick photo this morning of the kids. Merry Christmas!

Sweet Bird

My latest release is called "Sweet Bird". I used an old sampler verse "Sweet Bird thy bower is ever green, thy sky is ever clear, thou hast no sorrow in thy song, no winter in thy year".

It is stitched on 32 ct Sand Dune linen with Crescent Colours floss: Wavy Navy, Desert Mesquite, Tartan Plaid, Whatley Woodlands, Old Oak Tree, Zach Black and Apple Fritters. It is done totally in cross stitch. Hope you like it!

Blessings from Above

I have a new release coming out this week, it's called Blessings from Above. The verse says "Home, Garden, Family, Love These are blessings from above".
It is stitched on 40 ct flax linen using mostly DMC threads and 5 different colors of Gentle Arts threads.

Friendship Sampler Exchange

Our mission was to stitch Moira Blackburn's "Friendship Sampler" using whatever fabric and threads we wanted. We had an exchange partner and we then switched samplers. All the samplers came out unique, it's impossible to pick my favorite.

Sweet World

I had a small piece in The Gift of Stitching online magazine last month. www.thegiftofstitching.com
I just received notice that the September issue is now available and realized I meant to add this post ages ago.
I had a lot of fun stitching this design as I chose pale colors that I normally don't work with and used Anchor threads which I love but don't use nearly enough.

New Releases

My first release is Blue House Sampler and uses Crescent Colours throughout on Flax linen.



This is called The Sampler Stitcher and is stitched on Sand linen with Gentle Arts Sampler threads.

So many birthdays, so little time...

I stitched a Blackbird Designs piece a few months ago for a friend and can now post it without ruining the surprise. Another friend taught me to lace the piece and I inserted it into a ready made frame and the backing is decorative paper.
I love punch needle. Not only do I love the look of little mini hooked rugs, but I love that it's so quick and easy to make and so quick and easy to finish. Here are a few I've finished recently for friends' birthdays. The above is from Meme's Cottage Collection.

This is from Prairie Grove Peddler and is called Autumn Bouquet. I see they have another in different colors called Spring Bouquet.

And this little sheep is from Stone and Thread.
Happy Birthday dear friends, I hope you'll enjoy.

It's Just Stuff

I recently received two small boxes of "stuff" after my dad died. That's all that was left, two small boxes and nothing important, some house keys, his wallet and driver's license, a few photos and letters, a small Matchbox car in an unopened package and a small lap comforter with blood stains on it.

I'm a natural born collector and come by it rightfully, so was my dad. My mother is neat, clean, has no attachment to "stuff" and doesn't like clutter. She would just as soon throw out something that I think has sentimental value as to keep it.

Recently when I've visited her, I've noticed things missing. "Mom, where is the clock Ted gave you?" "Mom where are the fans?" "Mom, where, where where???" She never knows, her memory is either gone or foggy and pretty soon her life will be down to two small boxes also.

My hairdresser also has a mother with dementia and said he's been wondering the same thing. Where's the stuff? "Mom, where is that coin collection I had as a kid?" "Mom, where did you put that artwork I gave you?" No answers, no explanations, things are just gone. He conjectured that the older we get, the harder time we seem to have holding onto our "stuff". People are in and out of the house, on a whim things might be given to someone who will appreciate them or just dumped in the Goodwill bin. It's just stuff after all and the people and the memories are the things to be cherished.

I've lovingly put the two small boxes of stuff from my dad into one, washed the comforter, put it on my sofa, looked through his wallet, saw the Golden Age pass we got him when we were together at a national park at Christmas and realized it was probably the last time he ever signed his name. His mind was gone but his signature was as strong as ever. There were little receipts, a list of members of his retirees club and a $20 bill I gave him 3 years ago when he said he didn't have any money. Being the sentimentalist and the collector that I am, I will keep these things, I will cherish them as much as if he'd left me a Picasso and I realize that "stuff" is just "stuff" but if you are like me, it's still "good" stuff. I love that line in a Don Henley song about hearses not coming with luggage racks. So true. It's just stuff.

Act Without Expectations-some rambling thoughts..

Not long ago my daughter was complaining because her brother had received a good deal of praise regarding some stories he had written. In trying to look at it from her point of view, I realized that I coudn't. I told her that when I was growing up I had honestly never had jealous feelings about my brothers or sister. I was always proud when they accomplished something and it didn't take away from me as a person if they had done well. She thought a moment and said "you're right, I am proud of him, I guess I just want attention too." Well, she gets plenty of attention for doing many things well and realized it by the end of our conversation.

I think the common denominator between being jealous and upset vs. happy and proud for another person has to do with love and maybe a little age and wisdom. I have a true and abiding love for my siblings and of course my children and husband and if something good comes their way I'm just as happy as they are. The mark of a true friend is when they can embrace all that happens to you, the good and the bad.

As humans, we find it much easier to be a good friend in a time of crisis, to lend an ear for a problem, to be there when the chips are down. It's not nearly as easy to be a good friend if you are jealous because someone won the lottery or lost a good deal of weight leaving you the fat one in the relationship. When we start feeling uneasy because of good things coming to a friend and not to us we sometimes try to level that person, take them down a notch of two to make sure they aren't standing taller than we are. It's so much harder to stand just as tall though a little shorter and even harder to raise ourselves to their new level.

I think we all want friends who will be there not only for the tragedies of life but also for the celebrations, friends who will celebrate along with us and not just in their actions but truly in their hearts. I don't want a friend who is willing to listen when the world looks bad but equally willing to chop at me when my world looks rosy and theirs doesn't.

One of my brother's favorite quotes is "act without expectations" . Wouldn't the world be a nicer place if people just did the right thing and didn't sit back waiting for a payoff, whatever that might be? He told me he and his wife went out for breakfast on Father's Day and saw an elderly gentleman eating alone. He told the waitress to put the man's bill on his tab but not to tell the man anything except the person buying him breakfast no longer has a father he can buy a breakfast for on Father's Day. I love that his actions weren't pre-meditated to give him anything except a little satisfaction. He was thinking only of brightening the day of the elderly man and honoring the memory of our father.

When we act expecting to hurt others so that we can feel good about ourselves, that is acting WITH expectations. When we buy a present for someone expecting to make a friend, that is acting WITH expectations. Offer an ear for a friend to vent not because you want to store their words for future use against them, but because you want to help their stress level. Act without, do things because they are right and ethical, be proud of your actions, don't expect a payoff, whether the payoff you want is good or bad. With this one simple quote, act without expectations, you can raise yourself higher than you ever expected and will no longer need to level anyone.

And dear sweet brother, thank you for always teaching me something when I badly need to know it. The above cats are for you :)

Memorial Sampler

When my dad died last month, I almost immediately started stitching on a memorial piece for him. It was very healing to sit and stitch and I thought of him with each stitch I made.

I decided that once I get photos done, I will release this piece and will donate all proceeds to the Boy Scouts. He was a leader and very involved in scouting for many years. I picked this up from the framer yesterday and am very pleased with how it turned out though my photo is not the best. So stay tuned, I'll write more once it's ready for release.
P.S. click on the photo for a better view.

Song of Solomon

"Lo the winter is past, the rain is over and gone, the flowers appear on the earth, the time of the singing birds is come."

I love the Song of Solomon and chose to release this design last week. The verse has even more meaning for me now as my father died last week after a long few years of disappearing inch by slow inch. By the time he died, he was a sweet elderly man, but he was not the vital man I'd known all my life.

The afternoon he died, my daughter and I arrived home at the same time. She called for me to come around to the front of the house to see some bright purple flowers that hadn't been there earlier. She said "isn't that weird mom, where did they come from?" We have this particular ground cover in another area of the yard but not by the front door and I certainly would have seen these flowers as the color was almost fluorescent. We both admired them for a few minutes and went inside to find out dad, and for her, grandpa had died.

The verse brings me great comfort. The past 5 years were a very harsh winter for him but the rain is now over and the flowers appeared and he's in a better place. I know I'll see him again. In another post I'll write more about him, but that won't be this week so for now I just want to say I love you Dad, I'm so glad you are free again.

James Thomas Cox 1930-2006

Treasures of Thy Life So Dear

Finally! I took the Merry Cox class in November for this piece and was pleasantly surprised to be able to finish so much of it but my friend, Tedra, finished the needlebook and inside pocket and watch for me. I'll be honest, I'm finishing challenged. I'm happy to finally have it done. The pocket watch goes into the little inside pocket and has the initials of my husband, kids and siblings. It was well worth all the over one stitching and the grumbling as I tried to stitch it in time for the class.

Quaker Values

I have a new design coming out in time for market and I've called it Quaker Values. It is stitched on R& R Reproductions "American Chestnut" with Weeks Dye Works and Gentle Arts Sampler threads. I've never seen Quaker people on a Quaker sampler before and thought it might be different to include them plus seven different words that typify their values. There is a red rose border and full and half medallions. I hope you'll enjoy this one as I had a fun time creating it.

Drawn Thread Cruise Report

I wrote this report last year BEFORE the Drawn Thread cruise and was getting ready to take it down when I thought I'd post it for anyone who hasn't yet read it. I'll keep it up a while longer. I had the best time writing it and finding photos so I'd like to share it with more people.

This is a Word document and some might not be able to open it without Word on their computer. It also takes a moment for all the photos to download. Enjoy!

www.mehve.com/cruisereport/cruise_report.doc

Happy New Year

I read somewhere about a dime store that had closed due to the owner's death. The store sat untouched for 40 years until someone rediscovered it. When they went in to explore, it was exactly as it had been 40 years earlier. The products were still on the shelves, nothing had been moved or taken. It was a snapshot of another era and time.

That story has always fascinated me. Once upon a time I thought it would be fascinating to be an archeologist. That store represented the ultimate in an archeological dig to me. No digging required! I wonder what it would have been like to visit that store? What items were on the shelves? What were the prices? What products were still there that were no longer made? Would I discover items that were selling for exorbitant amounts on ebay and listed as "vintage"?

I'd love to simply stroll up and down the aisles to see what was there. Time tiptoes away from us so quietly that we don't notice it's gone until it's too late. Can we remember when the label of our favorite cleanser changed to look more modern? When exactly did we get the new scanning cash registers? One day we go shopping to find that something we need is no longer made. How is it we realize when something becomes "old fashioned"? Piece by piece, yesterday is replaced and becomes "today".

I met my husband 22 years ago on New Year's Eve. Thinking about that this morning, I realized that we have landed upon "today" and I sometimes wonder how we got here. I can remember what I was wearing that night but wonder what became of those clothes. I can remember the people we were with that night but haven't seen them for years. I also realize that my parents were probably at their own party that night and they were completely different then. They both now have dementia and I wish I'd understood 22 years ago that their minds were not going to last forever. I would have tried to appreciate them more, tried to dig deeper into their memories before they disappeared so quickly it took my breath away.

22 years ago my dad was probably the life of the party and my mother was probably displaying her quick wit to the other partygoers. They were able to get into a car and drive themselves wherever they wanted. They were planning for retirement in a few years and looking at maps and travel brochures. My dad's greatest joy now is candy and his regularly scheduled meals at a group home. My mother is living alone and each time I visit her it's like another little piece of who she is has been pinched off.

Yes, time tiptoes away from us so quietly that we don't realize it's gone until we look back and compare what was and what is.

Happy New Year to all, Happy New Year Mom and Dad. I miss you.